Tears of Flame
by The Fire Rain Alchemist
Summary: Six months after the disappearance of her friends, Lex finds a strange package outside her door. She's just a tool in their plan, a marionette on strings. Stuck in a world she knows everything and yet nothing about, will she be able to find her place? Can she really be any use in a war? Possibly Ed x OC later. Under reconstruction.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own FMA nor the FMA**.

**My first fanfic.**

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Prologue

(-Lex-)

A girl sat silently in her house, all alone. She sat curled up on her couch watching episodes of Fullmetal Alchemist, one after the other. Six months ago, she would have been fangirling over Ed. She would've been jumping up and down and cheering any time a member of Roy's team did something. She would have been grumbling every time she had to pause it long enough to clean off her glasses, which seemed to collect smudges like magnets.

But six months ago her two closest friends had still been there. One day, they were just gone. Poof. While she had always been very soft spoken in public and around strangers, she had always been able to let down her walls around her friends. They encouraged her to take risks she would have hid from otherwise. Without that, she had returned to the closed-off girl she had been before she had managed to open her shell. That girl is me.

I was home alone that night because my dad and little brother were camping, and my mom and younger sister were at some girl-scout overnight tour thing. I was home because I didn't have anything else to do. And watching FMA always made me feel better.

It was around eight-thirty when the doorbell rang. I tensed. My paranoia kicked in. I paused the movie and slowly got up from my couch. My cat meowed at me and I put a finger to my lips. I tip-toed silently across the tile to the front door. I peeked out the window next to the door. Whoever had been there was gone. In front of the door sat a small box. I opened the door and snatched the box, then quickly closing it again and blocking it. I made sure it was securely locked before walking into the living room and flopping down on the couch.

I stared at the small brown box in my hands. It had my name written on it in big, fancy letters. I traced the 'L' with the tip of my finger.

"I have a really bad feeling about this." I muttered as I pulled it open. "Ooo, pretty!" Inside was a small necklace. The pendant resembled the style of Egyptian amulets. The jewel looked like a ruby, but it was flecked with little gold and orange specks. On one side had a transmutation circle that resembled the one on Roy Mustang's gloves. One the other was an ouroboros and a flamel overlapping. The tip of the ouroboros's tail crossed the curve of the flamel's snake. It was incredibly detailed for a pendant that was only three-quarters of an inch in diameter.

I dangled the amulet in front of my face, admiring the way the light glinted off the jewel. Then I noticed the small note at the bottom of the box. I held my breath and unfolded the yellow paper. My thumb brushed the edge of the intricate transmutation circle. Then the floor seemed to give way underneath me. Red flooded my vision.

Everything went white.

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**It's a lot shorter than I wanted it to be, but luckily this is just a prologue. Please review! Constructive criticism is really helpful. Flaming is a waste of your time, so if you didn't like it, go read something else. **


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own FMA, and if I did, I would've already put permanent dibs on Ed. That, and Roy and Riza would've kissed by now.**

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Chapter 1

(-Lex-)

I was surrounded entirely by white. Just a few feet in front of me was a faceless figure outlined with black. The only feature it had was a broad grin.

"Oh, please don't let me be where I think I am…" Might as well get this over with… "Who're you?"

"I am called by many names. I am the world. I am the universe. I am god. I am Truth. I am all. I am one. And I am also you." _Crap. _

"Oh, great…" If I had actually been standing on anything, I probably would have fallen to the ground right then. Truth's eerie smile changed to a toothy grimace.

"The others all looked far more impressive. Are they really running so low on options?" What was that supposed to mean?Sure I wasn't drop-dead gorgeous, and yeah, if you took my glasses I'd probably run into more walls than you could count, and maybe I wasn't that good in a fight but… I could see his point now.

Before I could question Truth, something slimy and black wrapped itself around my wrist. In a frozen silence I slowly turned my head. Behind me was my Gate of Truth. At the top was a large fire, seemingly leaking droplets of fire into a large stone bowl. I focused on this as more hands grabbed me. I held my breath as they pulled me inside the Gate. Time seemed to speed up, pictures flashing before my eyes. I didn't understand any of it, and part of me didn't want to. They stopped suddenly.

I was quickly aware that there was ground underneath my feet again. I was in an office, surrounded by people in blue uniforms. Before I could even realize that I recognized them, I had a bunch of guns pointed in my face. One of them was positioned in front of my nose, held by a blonde woman with amber-brown eyes.

"Don't shoot!" I yelped.

"How did you get in here?" A man sat calmly in his desk. He looked suspiciously like Roy Mustang. I gulped.

"Uh..." My scrambled brain worked furiously to think of a plausible story. "Mydadwasresearchingakindofsp acialalchemyandIaccidentlyst eppedononeofhiscircles! Pleasedon'tkillmeIlikebreathing!" I said single panicked breath.

"What did she just say?" This voice was like Havoc's. I couldn't seriously be in FMA, could I? I sucked in a deep breath.

"Can you please get the guns out of my face?" My voice was just barely above a whisper. The Riza doppelganger looked for confirmation from the Roy look-alike. He gave a quick nod. The guns clicked and moved away from me and I sighed in relief.

"Now repeat what you said. Slower this time." Roy commanded.

"My dad is researching spatial alchemy, and I must've accidentally stepped in one of his circles or something." I really hoped he couldn't tell I was lying. He probably did considering he didn't look too convinced. Six sets of eyes were observing my every move. I shifted uncomfortably.

"Do you realize the significance of that necklace you're wearing?"

"I'm wearing a necklace?" Sure enough, the little amulet was resting just below my collarbone. "It just came in a box delivered to my door." I answered truthfully. What they _didn't _need to know was that that door was likely in another _dimension. _

"Really? Then you wouldn't mind if we put you under surveillance, would you?" He smirked and placed his chin against his hands. I couldn't seem to force myself to respond in words, so I shook my head no. I pulled in another breath.

"C-considering you'd do it no matter what I said." I spoke quickly. His smirk got wider and I saw something that could be mistaken as approval on the faces of the rest of the team. "Um, how about we i-introduce ourselves? My name's Lex Hadesty." _Please don't say Roy Mustang. Please don't say Roy Mustang._ I repeated over in my head.

"I am Colonel Roy Mustang. You may address me as 'Colonel' or even as the Flame Alchemist." I must've visibly paled because he got a smug look on his face. "You've heard of me, I take it."

"Oh, you know, this and that." My voice was airy. "A-and the rest of you?"

"This is First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye, Second Lieutenant Jean Havoc, Second Lieutenant Heymans Breda, Master Sergeant Kain Feury, and Warrant Officer Vato Falman." He directed to each member of 'The Team'.

"Pleasure to meet you."

"Havoc, take her outside while I make a phone call."

"Yessir." Havoc saluted and turned to me. "Come on." He gave me a small smile. Which would've been better if he didn't have that cigarette in his mouth. I nodded. He led me out into the hallway, standing next to the door. I leaned against the wall next to him. I resisted the urge to cough as Havoc's cigarette smoke worked its way into my lungs. What in the world had just happened? One minute I was sitting on my couch, the next I was in _the_ Roy Mustang's _office_. I didn't _think_ I took any drugs. Maybe there was some sort of trigger on that box.

I lifted the necklace in front of my face. Now that I thought about it, it was unnaturally heavy for something so small. Eurgh, I didn't know whether or not to call it a nightmare or a dream come true. I had without a doubt used up all of my confidence in asking them to introduce themselves. I could hardly believe that I was standing next to Havoc, let alone that Roy and Riza were just behind that door. I giggled. Roy and Riza. The one pairing I supported more than Natsu and Lucy from Fairy Tail. Havoc turned and looked at me funny. Not bad funny, but that look of puzzlement.

"What's so funny?"

"N-nothing," I answered, still giggling slightly. As I went to breathe, I began to panic. Why? Because I couldn't. It felt as though someone were crushing my lungs. My vision spotted as I scrambled in the pockets of my cargo pants for my inhaler. _Tissue, iPod, crumpled paper, mechanical pencil, eraser… Where the heck is my inhaler? _The desperate attempts to pull in oxygen made my ribs hurt, and my head felt lighter than hair. I had only ever had one really bad asthma attack, and this one was worse.

"Hey, are you alright?" I shook my head. I gestured to my chest in a very generic 'I can't breathe' way. I saw him rush into Roy's office. Just as my fingers curled around the little inhaler, my vision went dark.

(-Roy-)

Roy dialed the number, a smug smile on his face.

"Hello?"

"Fullmetal, I have an assignment for you." Roy held the phone away from his ear.

"What?! But we just got back to Central!"

"Something came up, and you don't have a choice." Someone on the other end said something, and here was an exasperated sigh.

"Fine." The line went dead. Roy smirked. A coughing sound came through the door. Havoc burst into the room.

"Colonel, I think Lex is having an asthma attack!" Roy, tailed by Riza, followed Havoc out the door just in time to watch the girl fall to the floor, unconscious.

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**It's still shorter than I wanted it to be! TT^TT**

**Oh well, short can be good, I mean, just look at Ed! But anywho, please review. The biggest thing I worry about: keeping people in character. So if you see any OOC-ness tell me right away so I can fix it!**


	3. Chapter 2

**By the way, this is mostly going to follow Brotherhood with bits from the original thrown in. There's always a lot of arguing over which one's better, but I just think there both awesome. **

**And can I say how incredibly hard it is to get someone to watch the original who's seen Brotherhood first? You know who you are! Stop the One Piece binge and join the FMA obsession!**

**That is all.**

**Disclaimer: Like I said last chapter, if I owned FMA or FMA:B, Roy and Riza would've kissed onscreen. **

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Chapter 3

(-Lex-)

I forced my eyes open to a white ceiling. I scrunched my nose at the smell of hospital. Pulling myself into a sitting position, I reached out to grab my glasses off the table next to the bed. I scanned my surroundings. It was a nice room, as far as hospitals go. Orange-tinted sunlight was streaming in through the window, so I assumed I had been out at least all night. They had been kind enough to leave me in my own clothes, so none of that uncomfortable hospital garb for me. I reached into my bottom-most pocket, which was nearly to my ankle. It was a wonder my pants stayed up, let alone fit comfortably with all the junk I had crammed into the pockets. I pulled out my rescue inhaler and glared at it._ Why is it that inanimate objects always take it upon themselves to hide from me? _I mused, placing it in my top pocket. I slid off the bed and walked over to the window. Since I hadn't realized I was on the ground floor, I nearly jumped out of my skin when I saw that Havoc was directly outside my window. I slid it open.

"Hiya." I grinned. I was in a surprisingly good mood, considering I was in the hospital.

"When did you wake up?" My eyes were instantly drawn to the cigarette in his mouth.

"Like a minute ago. You know, smoking kills people." I let myself grin from ear to ear. "I bet you'd have a girlfriend if you didn't smell like smoke." I said in a sing-song voice.

"W-what makes you think I don't have a girlfriend?"

"Do you?" A depressed aura hung over his head. Huh. I hadn't even noticed that the world was a bit more cartoonish until that.

"No…"

"Changing the subject, I take it you're here to make sure I don't run off?"

"That's right."

"Sheesh, you randomly appear in military HQ _once…_" There was a knock on the door. "Well, bye." I stepped away from the window and shut it behind me. I moved back to the bed and sat down on it, crossing my legs.

"Come in." The door opened and Roy stepped in. "Morning, Colonel."

"Afternoon, actually. You've been out just under twenty-four hours."

"S-Seriously?!" _I guess I was really wiped…_

" Yes. The doctor said that you were well enough to leave now." He stated in a matter-of-fact tone. "Follow me." I jumped to my feet, following him as he left the room. I welcomed the silence that ensued, using it to really take in what had happened. Other than a slightly more cartoonish look to everything, not much was different than my own world. The voices of those I had met before were almost identical to their voice actors, but they had a very slight accent. As I looked up at the back of Roy's head, I realized something else. I felt really short. From what I'd read, he wasn't very tall, only around 5'10". I was 5'4", so it made sense that I would feel shorter, but not as short as I felt. Was everyone just taller in Amestris?

On a less trivial matter, what was so important about my necklace that made me need supervision? It was just a piece of jewelry, wasn't it? Maybe it was because it had an ouroboros on it… I sighed and adjusted my glasses. _The universe just loves to laugh in my face, doesn't it… Hold on, where is he taking me anyway?_ I wondered as I obediently got in the car after him. After a few minutes debating whether or not I was actually going to say anything, I finally decided to ask.

"Colonel Mustang?" He looked at me, then back to the road.

"Yes?"

"Where are we going?"

"HQ. Fullmetal should already be there."

"F-Fullmetal?!" He couldn't be serious, could he? He nodded.

"He'll be keeping an eye on you, until we can determine you aren't a threat."

"R-right…" A feeling of dread crept into my gut as the car stopped. The closer we got to Mustang's office, the more nervous I got. Would I even be able to talk to them? Based on previous experience, the more people that were in a room with me, the quieter I got. I was actually surprised that I was doing so well one-on-one, in the talking department. Not well like they liked me or trusted me, but well like I actually _talked_. Would they ever trust me? I would tell them that I found lying to be a pointless waste of time, and that I don't lie, but I already had. What a load, 'dad researching spatial alchemy'… Ungh… But what would happen if I told them that I came from a world where they were just story characters? And which series was I in? Brotherhood or the original? _Okay, Lex, calm down! Quit being such a worry-wart and go with the flow. Yeah, go with the flow, that'll work. Just stay calm and-_

Smack. I ran into Mustang's back. We had reached his office.

"Sorry!" I jumped back. Roy had an amused look on his face as I blushed in embarrassment.

"Pay a little more attention next time." He smirked and I frowned.

"Yessir!" Thankfully, he left it there and walked into the room. I paused at the door when I saw two all-too-familiar faces. As I walked stiffly into the room, both sets of eyes followed my every move. _Talk about making a girl feel self-conscious…_ They stared for a few more seconds, then the boy who was obviously Ed turned his attention to Roy. Roy was now sitting at his desk, Riza standing at his side.

"So what did you want?" Ed managed to sound both bored and irritated at the same time.

"Your job will be to keep an eye on Lex here." Ed threw a glance at me, then glared back at Roy. _Well I feel important…_

"We don't have time to be babysitting some girl! We have to keep looking for-" Roy cut him off, a serious look on his face.

"This isn't up for debate, Fullmetal. Besides, I'm sure that you can find something for her to do that's helpful." _They're talking about me like I'm not even here… And poor Alphonse is just standing there._ An idea popped into my head. While Ed continued to argue futilely with Mustang, I inched over to Al. He turned to look at me. I sucked in a breath and smiled.

"I'm Lex Hadesty." I stuck out my hand.

"Oh! I'm Alphonse Elric, Ed's younger brother." He enveloped my hand in his large metal one, the grip firm but not hard. Ed and Roy were now sending banter back and forth, so perfectly timed that it almost seemed rehearsed.

"Do they practice that or something?" I wondered aloud, sweatdropping.

"I… Don't know…" Al sweatdropped next to me. I made a little 'huh' sound.

There was a sigh from across the room. Riza's eyes were closed and a tiny tick mark was visible on her temple. I couldn't help the utterly evil grin that crossed my lips. I watched as she removed a gun from its holster and removed the bullets. She fixed the gun again and fired. The sound reverberated through the now silent room.

All eyes were on her when she yelled, "That's enough!"

Roy and Ed's eyes were bugging and Al looked about as stunned as a suit of armor could. Seeing their facial expressions made me lose all power I had over laughing. I dissolved into a bout of the giggles. The attention switched back to me, and I tried to stop but I couldn't.

"I-I'm s-sorry! It's just I totally saw that- And, oh you should see your faces!" I said between giggles. Ed let out a breath and gave a barely perceptible smile, and Al laughed. Roy had that signature smug look on his face.

Long story short, I ended up leaving with Ed and Al.

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(-Lex-)

"Are you coming in or not?" Ed's voice jolted me back to attention.

I had stopped at the door to hotel room, feeling awkward. It was two rooms, a bathroom and everything else. There was two beds against one wall and a green couch on the other. Next to the couch was a small table with a little lamp on it. Under the window sat a little desk that had two large stacks of books on it.

I fidgeted for another second tentatively walking in. I slipped off my shoes and went directly to the couch and sat. Alphonse was standing next to the couch and Ed was sitting on one of the beds, frowning and deep in thought.

A few more seconds of silence passed before Ed finally said, "What was your name again?"

"Brother…" Alphonse sighed.

"Lex Hadesty."

"I'm Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist." He gave a cocky grin and pointed a thumb at himself. My inner fangirl screamed, but I managed to keep quiet.

"Nice to meet you. Um…" I wanted to ask if he knew why Roy was so interested in my necklace, but then was worried about how he would react.

"What?"

"Nevermind." I gave a quick look out the window. _Wow, it's already really dark._ "What time is it?"

"Almost nine o'clock." Alphonse answered. Before I could stop myself, I let out a defeated sigh and pulled my knees up to my chest, letting my chin rest on my legs.

"H-Hey…"

"What's wrong?" I managed a weak smile.

"I've been gone a whole day. My parents must be really worried…" My eyes widened. "And Selena's gonna kill me for going without her…" The boys were staring at me totally lost. "Sorry. I think aloud a lot."

"Why does Mustang want us to watch you anyway?" Ed's eyes were narrowed slightly.

"If you would've let him finish earlier, you would already know." Al admonished.

"Yeah, yeah..." He grumbled in response.

"Ah… I stepped in one of my dad's spatial transmutation circles. When I appeared, it was sorta, um, like in the middle of his office." Now that I thought about it, it was actually pretty comical.

"That's the only reason?" Alphonse seemed surprised. I shook my head.

"Actually…" I lifted the necklace over my head. "He saw this, then got this really serious look on his face." There was a sharp inhalation from the brothers. "Kinda… Like you're doing… right now…"

"Don't you know what that is?!" Ed's voice was a notch short of yelling.

"Uh, no! Nobody's telling me anything!" I waved it back and forth on its chain.

"Where have you been, under a rock?!"

"Brother, calm down!" Ed huffed, but stopped talking. Al turned to me. "There's a group that's been killing anyone out after dark."

"Not just killing them! They transmute them apart!" Ed corrected.

"W-what does this have to do with-"

"The only thing witnesses remember seeing are brightly colored amulets." There was a dark look in his eyes and I shivered.

"_Oh._" I let the little pendant rest in the palm of my hand. "I'm going to sleep." I muttered.

I shoved the necklace into one of my pockets and lied down on the couch. I slipped off my glasses, set them on the end table, and curled my body in towards the back of the couch. _Maybe when I wake up, this will all have been a vivid dream..._ Letting that thought echo in my head, I allowed sleep to take me.

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**Please review! I feel like there's a lot of dialogue... *serious thinking face* OH well. If you see any OOC-ness, be sure to inform me. And anything else you think I can improve on.**


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own FMA or FMA:B. I just own Lex and any OC's I add.**

**I also do not own Fairy Tail or Soul Eater. They are referenced a wee bit later.**

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When I woke up, I was surprised to find myself sleeping on a couch. _Why should I be surprised? I had been watching FMA on the couch, after all… Then I had that uber-realistic dream about being in FM…A…_

_…_

_…_

_…_

"HOLY MOTHER OF CHICKENS!" I shot straight up, remembering once again _just_ where I was. Ed jolted up out of bed and yelled something completely incoherent. There was a loud clanking as Al jumped. I cringed as I realized how loud I had been.

"Lex, are you okay?"

"What the hell was that for?!"

"Sorry." I whispered. "I just, ah… remembered something." Ed raised an eyebrow, the tiredness still reflected in his eyes.

"What did you remember?" Al asked.

…

…

…

"I think I left the faucet on!" That caused the brothers to sweatdrop, and I felt a rush of success. I had just gotten _the _Elric brothers to sweatdrop! Queue inner fangirl scream _now…_ Moment over.

"You woke me up… because you left a faucet on?"

"It wasn't intentional! It was just reflex, ya' know? What time is it anyway? Hey, are you guys hungry, because I'm hungry! Let's go get food! Unless of course you want to try to go back to sleep in which case I should probably shut up… Ah, geez I'm babbling! Feel free to stop me at any time…" I rambled. I felt incredibly stupid and was about ready to go die in a hole.

Ed sighed and scratched the back of his head, then grinned. "I dunno, Al, I think we should make her keep going."

"Hey!"

"Well, since I'm awake now, I suppose we can get something to eat." When he got out of bed, I realized he was in that black tank top and boxers. I felt my face heat up and looked away. Stupid teenage hormones.

Once he was dressed, I followed the two brothers out the door. Breakfast was pretty boring because Ed and Al started talking about some seriously complex alchemy and I couldn't follow a single word. Unlike what most fans would believe, alchemy _does not _suddenly make sense when Truth pours information into your brain. And to those people who think that they would be showered with attention by the main characters of their favorite show/manga when they get to follow them around; you are dead wrong. I'm sure that they were paying attention, but they definitely weren't showing it. The one comment directed to me was Ed announcing that we were going to the library. Ed walked in front of me and Al behind, and they continued their conversation. Heh, what they were saying was literally over my head.

All of the streets were almost totally empty, just a few people here and there. I could see people peeking out of their windows though, so I knew people actually lived here. Based on what I had seen of Central in the shows, this wasn't it, but it was still pretty big. Ed and Al didn't seem bothered by the lack of people, so I tried to ignore it.

But you know that feeling that something really bad is going to happen? That tightness in your stomach, just below your solar plexus and the lump in your throat? I was feeling that to a very high degree. I didn't know what it was and it bothered more than I cared to admit. It seemed to be increasing the farther we walked. So I wasn't surprised when Ed turned a corner and froze, eyes wide. Ed's bangs fell over his face, covering his eyes in a dark shadow.

"Brother? What is-" Al cut himself off with an echoing gasp. My every muscle stiffened.

"Al, go call the Colonel." Al nodded and ran off to find a phone. I was still standing in a place where I couldn't see whatever it was they were seeing. Thank God.

"W-what is it?" My voice was just above a whisper. When Ed looked at me, the look in his eyes was unreadable.

"Do you remember what Al and I were telling you about last night?"

"About th-the group with amulets like m-mine?" He nodded once. I took a tiny step back.

"Someone was unlucky enough to run into one of them."

"H-Huh?" He couldn't really be telling me that there was a dead body just a turn away, could he? I turned and leaned against the building and slid down to the ground. That building was the only thing between me and a gruesome crime scene.

It didn't take too long for the military to show up, fifteen to twenty minutes at most. They began their process and I just listened to the comforting bustle of people. Ironically, I didn't like talking to people, but I hated the silence of being alone.

"Edward, who is this?" A man spoke just a few feet away from me, and it made me jump. Wait a minute… I looked up, but could only see that he had black hair and was in the military.

"Oh, that's Lex. Mustang assigned her to us."

"Really?"…I knew that voice. I knew I knew that voice. Why was the accent throwing me off so bad?!

I found out why I knew that voice.

The man whipped around and before I could even register his face, I had a picture of a little girl shoved in my face.

"Aw, Elysia!" I exclaimed, grabbing the photo from who I know realized was none other than Maes Hughes.

"Hey, how'd you know her name?" Ed's eyes narrowed at me and I gulped. I glanced back at the picture and nearly sighed in relief. I turned the back of the photo to him, pointing at the little black letters.

"It says it right there!"

"Isn't she just the cutest thing?" Hughes crooned. I laughed.

"You betcha!" I gave him back the photo.

"What are you doing in East City, Lt. Colonel Hughes?" Al asked politely.

"I got called here to investigate a few of the previous incidents here."

"Are you sure this was done by the same people as before?" Ed's eyes were still staring into the alley. Though curiosity urged me to look, I knew that it would be a very, very bad idea.

"It's the same MO, and a copycat's pretty unlikely." Hughes' eyes followed Ed's. "That's a pretty horrible way to go." A young subordinate officer moved up.

"Lieutenant Colonel, witnesses say that the murderer was dressed totally in black, mask and everything. But they say that he or she wore a glowing amethyst amulet." I felt a chill run down my spine. The amulet thing again.

Hughes nodded in acknowledgement. "I think that wraps up all we can do here. Get the body out of here." The officer started to move away. "Make sure you get all of it!"

Before I could look away, bloody objects were removed from the alley. What made it worse was I could tell what some of it was. A lung, a liver, a _heart_.

Without a second thought, I turned and ran. I didn't care what other people would think of it, I didn't care who went after me, I just need to get away.

Away.

The word pulsed in my mind. I had been taken _away_ from my safe, relatively normal life.

Back home, I had wished to be sent _away_. Amestris, Fiore, the DWMA, _anywhere._

And now all I wanted was to get _away_ from here.

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**Agh! I'm updating a day later than I meant to! To any author I have ever though mean things about when they don't update regularly: I apologize. I am trying to update every Saturday, but it may be a bit irregular. I mean, I'm in 9th grade, I have too much homework, and I just spent the last hour and a half trying to write an acceptable review essay for ****_Brave New World_****. **

**Anyway, please review, constructive criticism greatly desired. **


	5. Chapter 4

**Okay, so I'm trying a new point of view, so tell me if there's anything that needs work.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own FMA or FMA:B, I only own Lex and any OC's I add. I also do not own Netflix, which is where summaries shown later were taken from.**

(-Ed-)

Ed cringed as the organs were removed from the alley. There was sharp gasp on his left, followed by the sound of footsteps on stone. He turned to see Lex running away at full speed.

"Hey!" He yelled.

"Lex!" Ed heard the distinctive rattling of Al's armor behind him. The girl had a head start, and she didn't seem opposed to turning corners. Where in the world was that girl going?! He though irritably as they got farther away from the horrific crime scene. Just when Ed thought they'd lost her, he heard someone singing in a soft but strong voice.

"Do you think that's Lex?" Al whispered in his ear.

"Probably." The walls of buildings finally disappeared as the brothers came to a small church and a graveyard filled with flowers. Lex was sitting by a patch of yellow roses, pulling at the grass, her back to them. They were still a ways away from her, so Ed had to strain his ears to hear.

"_-this, oh God I need Your help. I'm standing still, move so peaceful. I can't pretend, that I'm fine. I get so ill, crazy agitated, when I… I can't do this, I can't do this! I can't do this by myself! I can't do this, I can't do this! Oh, God I need Your help!" _Her voice wavered, like she was crying, but her words were clear. She was an good singer, Ed admitted. She let out a long, heavy sigh, gripping this grass harder.

"What should we do?" Al whispered in his ear.

"Hang on, she might say something that'll get Mustang to reassign her. Then we get back to looking for the you-know-what." He focused his ears back to Lex. Was it wrong to hope that she was bad, just so he could focus on getting Al his body back?

"Damn it… What did I do to get in this mess? Well, besides the whole _poof_, hey look is friggin' _Mustang! _What is up with that anyway? Who magically transports someone right into a military base?!" She sighed again, this time quieter and more resigned. She picked one of the roses and twirled it back and forth between her fingers.

"She's gonna get stuck with a thorn doing that." Ed muttered after a minute of Lex staring at the rose.

"She looks really upset, Brother. Do you really think that she could have some evil plan?"

"I don't know. I do know she isn't telling us something."  
-

(-Lex-)

In case it wasn't clear, I love music. I could think of any song I'd heard and find some way to fit it to what was happening around me. And at that moment, I wasn't feeling anything but helplessness.

I pulled one of the roses, twirling it in my fingers. I always thought the yellow ones were prettier than the red ones. Red roses were so mainstream. _You know, if I wasn't so adamant about not being mainstream, I probably wouldn't have ever gotten into manga and anime…_ If I hadn't watched FMA, would I have even come here? Or would I just be twice as confused?

The yellow petals of the rose blurred into a single mass of color. I heard the sound of footsteps behind me. I was about to panic when I recognized the metallic steps of Al. The other set must've been Ed.

"It's rude to sneak up on people." I murmured quietly, but clearly audible.

"Sorry, did we scare you?" Al instantly launched into an apology. I plastered on a smile and wiped away a few stray tears before turning around. I glanced at Ed, who was staring at me, wearing an unreadable expression.

"Don't worry about it." I was sure my eyes were still red, but luckily they never seemed to get puffy when I cry. "So are we still going to the library? Whatever you guys are looking for, it's gotta be more important than some currently emotionally unstable, time/space traveler, right?"

I really wanted to just come out and say 'I'm from the other side of the Gate where you guys are figments of a Japanese woman's imagination and there is no alchemy', but that was a really bad idea. They didn't trust me. They didn't know me and I didn't know them. Not really.

Ed put his hand on his chin. "She's right, Al. Come on, we've got research to do."

* * *

(-Lex-)

The next two days passed as boringly as a day with the Elrics can. There weren't even any incidents of calling Ed short. Talking with either one of them was incredibly awkward and I always felt out of place. Though I loved the time spent in the library. I focused most on learning more about the world in which Amestris was contained, but I was constantly called by the fantasy section. I desperately wanted to know if there was a story of my Earth here. Ed and Al were huddled around a book, whispering to themselves. Finally, I caved and moved quickly to the bookshelf. I skimmed the titles, looking for any hint. My eye came upon a thick leather-bound book, the title _Through the Doors: The Other Side_. Sliding it carefully from between two other books, I opened to the first page.

_You won't believe a word. You will think that this is a joke, the crazy creation of a mad author. Thinking that, you will be wrong. Except maybe, for the mad part. _

"Hah!" Don't judge me. I take great amusement in others insanity.

_It is unlikely that any of you readers have ever heard of the Gate. But I will tell you that it is what powers our alchemy. On the other side of this Gate is another world, much like ours, but drastically different. Instead of alchemy, a science called physics advanced. The humans there built many great machines. And many horrible mistakes. This is a compendium of the goings-on in that world. Up to their date of 2012._

My breath had caught in my throat at the beginning of the paragraph. I flipped to a random page. There, drawn with intricate detail, was an passenger airplane.

_Called an airplane, they have the ability to fly through the air using powerful motors (see page 88) and updrafts from-_

Another page. Fat Man and Little Boy on parallel pages, the chapter labeled 'Mistakes'.

_Dropped in a city called Hiroshima, the explosion of Little Boy killed-_

An electric train, cell phones, television, rocket ships, tanks, machine guns, _everything_ I knew was right there, written and drawn in a thousand page, five-pound book.

_Television (page 23) Shows are very popular. The next two hundred pages consist of popular shows and their summaries._

Skimming the pages, I paused at the pictures for the ones I recognized. Big Bang Theory, The Mentalist, Castle, Good Luck Charlie, Dragons: Riders of Berk, Inuyasha, Soul Eater, Fairy Tail. I smiled at the last one, which was a picture of Natsu's Team. I'd always had a soft spot for the motion-impaired pyromaniac.

And then there it was. Fullmetal Alchemist and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, right next to one another.

_In this anime tale from Cartoon Network's Adult Swim series, brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric use the taboo science of alchemy to try to resurrect their mother. Instead, they unleash a chemical reaction that tears apart their bodies. Fast-forward four years: The siblings are scouring the land for the mythical Philosopher's Stone, which could restore their maimed bodies._

_After failing to resurrect their dead mother using the taboo science of alchemy - and suffering physical losses in the process - brothers Edward and Alphonse battle nefarious forces in an effort to reclaim their bodies in this supernatural anime._

Such similar summaries for two drastically different stories.

"What are you reading?" I squeaked, doing the cartoon full body shiver and slamming the book shut. I turned around, clutching my heart. Ed was standing there, looking amused and genuinely curious at the same time.

"Nothing." I answered unconvincingly. I was the worst liar on the face of the planet. Well… Planet_s_

"Then what do you have in your hands?" I glanced down at the book in my hand. Should I joke around or just show him? _Gah! I don't have time for over analysis! Just go with your instincts, me!_

"I think your confused, I'm not holding a book." I made my eyes look up as I slid the book behind my back.

"It's right behind your back!" He waved a finger at me.

"I don't know _what_ you're talking about." I allowed myself a grin. Later I would scold myself for my next comment, but my inner fangirl wanted to see you-know-what so badly that I couldn't help it. "No need to get so short-tempered."

"Who're you calling a pocket-sized little runt?!" A massive tick mark appeared on his head, and his facial expression was downright priceless. Isn't every short-rant expression priceless?

And I couldn't help myself. I started giggling.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU LAUGHING AT?!"

"I-I'm s-sorry! I just had to! It's so _adorable _when you freak out like that!" Both of us stopped immediately. That didn't just come out of my mouth did it? "I meeeeeeean… ah… um… You know what, pretend I never said anything!"

"You knew how I would react?" The suspicion from the first night was back in his eyes. _Crap._ The time I'm loose-lipped is _always _when I'm enjoying myself.

We did a little stare-off thing for a few seconds. Luckily I was saved by the appearance of an Al with a message.

"Ed, the Colonel is on one of the library's lines. He needs to talk to you." Ed opened his mouth to object, gave me another sideways glance, and turned around.

"Keep an eye on her." He whispered to Al. I didn't doubt that I wasn't supposed to hear it, but I had unusually good ears. Ed walked off, his tension obvious in the way he walked. I held _Through the Doors_ tightly to my chest. Thanks to the fact that I had- um… Was well _endowed_, if you catch my drift, it wasn't exactly comfortable. But I clung to it anyway. It was the only real link I had to my world, besides Tony. Tony being my iPod. I hadn't had a chance to pull it out, not without Ed or Al seeing it.

_Why did I have to open my big mouth?! Now he's all suspicious again!_ I was so busy scolding myself that I had zoned out, missing the fact that Al had been talking to me.

"-Lex?" He waved his metal gauntlet in front of my face.

"Wait, what?" I blinked, the world refocusing. "I am so sorry, were you talking?"

"I was just asking what happened to make Brother upset."

"Oh." I looked at the ground, and unable to come up with a lie, did what I wanted to; I told the truth. "I just commented that he was short-tempered. Which he is."

"That's all?" I could hear the smile in his voice. _Should I give them a hint? I shouldn't… should I? Okay, instinct Lex. Go with the flow._

"I might've guessed how he'd react… And I might've done it accidentally on purpose." Al actually laughed at that, and that lifted a massive weight off my chest. I smiled, though worry kept me from really laughing. Ed ran around the bookshelf.

"Al, we've got a lead!" Ed didn't waste a second turning around and running straight out of the library.

"Brother, wait!"

"_Edward!"_

"Why are we running?" Al asked as he began to catch up to him. I, of course, was still trailing behind.

"There's a city called Liore, and the next train out there is leaving in ten minutes!" I tripped on the word Liore. Thankfully, I caught my balance instead of landing face-first on the ground.

"Ya' know, if… I… really wanted to… I could totally… run away… if I wanted to…"

"Brother, we're losing Lex!"

"Then she should run faster!"

"I have _exercise induced asthma_, you ass!" And may I mention the effort required not to pant in that sentence?

His response- to laugh.

"I… am sticking… my tongue out at you!" All of us were laughing now, even though the lack of oxygen was making me light-headed.

By the time we reached the train station, my head felt like it was floating. In record time, Ed bought three train tickets and we were getting situated in a the seats.

I fished in my deep front pocket. _Gah, geez… I _know_ I put it in the top one… Ah!_ I pulled the little thing out of my pocket, pulled off the cap, and breathed in.

"What is that?" Al asked. I held up my finger in a 'one second' gesture. I took the second puff. After what seemed like ages, I released the breath through my nose.

"It's called an asthma inhaler. I use it so that I can breathe." I sent a pointed look at Ed.

"It looks different than the ones we've seen." Ed commented.

"Ah… That's because…" _Come on, come on… _"I was selected to test it out!"

"Right." He didn't look convinced. I slipped the inhaler back into my pocket. At lurch of the train starting, I gripped the edge of my seat. The motion of the train made me uncomfortable, and I desperately needed a distraction.

Ed had turned to look out the window, and by the feeling I was getting off of Al, he was uncomfortable trying to start a conversation. As much as I wanted some noise, I wasn't about to take the chance necessary to start it.

_Liore… _Was I really _that_ early in the series? On the positive side, it gave me a frame of reference. Ed was fifteen, Al fourteen, my age. But was Liore in the desert, like in the 2003 version, or not, like in Brotherhood?

That brought up a whole new stock of questions. What series was I in? Had Nina and Alexander been turned into a chimera yet, or was that yet to happen? What should I expect? And _what _was I going to do about Hughes? I couldn't just let him die! But his death was such a motivating part of the series!

_Agh, now I'm thinking to far ahead._ Okay, me, focus on Liore. No matter what the series, Al's gonna lose his head. Do I act surprised? Do I act like I already know? But then they would question how I knew... Got it! I'll say that I figured it out based on the sound of Al's footsteps! But they still might not-

"Lex, are you okay?" Al's voice startled me from my thoughts.

"Hm? I'm fine, what makes you think I'm not?"

"You're really pale."

"Don't worry about me, really!"

_You should be focusing on finding the Stone._

I was just in the way. But, if I played my cards right, I could save a lot of people from unnecessary suffering. And, I supposed, maybe even Ed and Al themselves.

* * *

**...Meh. I'm not really happy with this chapter, but I needed some way to bring it back to the main plot and Liore. *Sigh*. But hey, I'm updating on time!**

**Please review, everything but flames are appreciated. And to the four who already have...**

**THANK YOU.**

**Edward, go hug them.**

**Ed: But-**

**Me: I can make bad things happen. *evil grin***

**Ed: Fine**

***Ed hugs reviewers***

**Tschüß!**


	6. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own FMA or FMA:B, nor do I own any of the lines taken straight from it, or the one line from the hilarious (and somewhat inappropriate) parody, Nullmetal Alchemist.**

* * *

(-Lex-)

"Ed, Lex, wake up! We're almost there." _Voice… Interrupting… Sleep… _I pulled my arms closer to my body. _Five more minutes…_

Something shifted underneath my back and I became aware of my position. My arms were curled against my body, tightly clutching _Through the Doors_, which I hadn't had the time to put down in the library. When we went back to East City, I would have to give it back. And, embarrassingly, I was leaning on Ed. I scuttled away.

"Ack! I'm sorry for invading your bubble while unconscious! It's just, I know I don't like having my bubble invaded, even when I'm asleep. I prefer to be the one instigating the bubble breakage- Not that I did on purpose, I mean, how could I, I was asleep! A-"

"Do you always babble when you wake up?" Ed was smiling, and even expressionless Al seemed to be. _Only when it's under weird, awkward, and embarrassing circumstances. _

I pushed my glasses back into place. "Course not."

The bumping of the train and bad posture had my back aching. As I went to resituate myself, the train decided it would be the perfect moment to jerk to a stop. This caused me to nearly slide out of my seat.

"Passengers for Liore, please exit the train. Passengers for Liore, please exit the train."

_Well, here goes._

* * *

I pushed my food around on my plate. What in the world was I going to do? I mean, Cornello was going to end up shooting everywhere, right? Should I just follow the Elrics around like a lost puppy, or should I avoid being there?

The guy behind the counter turned on the radio. You know, the one with the mustache and hat. Did he even have a name in the show?... I didn't _think _he did…

"God's children who live upon this land, pray in faith that ye shall be saved. Those who have lost their way, the sun god Leto will shine his-" _Follow the righteous path or God will break your pelvis. _I nearly choked, remembering the Nullmetal Alchemist line.

Al looked around Ed, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just remembered a line." I grinned. Ed raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything on the matter.

"So, what's with this guy on the radio?"

"That's our leader, Father Cornello!"

"We were lost until he came to town and started teaching us the ways of the Sun God, Leto!"

"He can grant eternal life to those of the faithful!"

"He can even resurrect the dead!"

"So this guy's claiming he can bring the dead back to life? Now that's somethin' I gotta see."

* * *

That's what led up to me being dragged around the entirety of Liore for near an hour. I managed to talk Ed and Al into letting me stop in a few stores, though. I wasn't a big shopper, but it was a lot less boring than just wandering pointlessly.

"I'm gonna go find a snack." Ed announced. _You wouldn't be as hungry if you hadn't just walked off half your meal._ I didn't say what I was thinking. A part of me wanted to know how they'd react. The other didn't want to take the chance. Pretty obvious which one has the power, huh?

A cream-colored shoulder satchel caught my attention. It was simple, and the popular biatches at school would've turned their noses up immediately, but I liked it. Problem was, I _really _didn't want to ask Ed for money.

The clink of Al's footfalls warned me that he was coming up behind me. "What are you looking at?"

"Just a bag."

Al pointed to it. "This one?"

"Yeah, but I don't have any money so…"

"I bet you could talk Ed into getting it for you!"

"No way! I couldn't do that! My mom always taught me not to take money from anyone! Besides I'd want to pay you back and I have no way of doing that-"

"What's going on over here?" Ed's muffled voice startled me, but luckily I kept from jumping. He was chewing on something on a stick. I wasn't sure what, though, because that part was in his mouth.

"Lex wants a bag, but she doesn't want to ask for money."

"Really? You didn't strike me as the purse type."

"I'm not, it's just this big-arse book is kind of a pain to lug around. But there's no way I'm taking money from anybody."

A confused look crossed Ed's face, "When did you get the book?"

_You're kidding right? I get that you're preoccupied, but really?_ I raised an eyebrow, "When I didn't get a chance to put it down due to the fact that if I had, I would've been left in the library!"

"You really didn't notice it, Brother? It is pretty big."

"Apparently not. Hm..." Ed looked as though he was trying to solve a puzzle. "I suppose the least I could do is get you something to carry it in."

"Wait, what?"

He walked past me and grabbed the satchel. He turned and looked at me with this innocent expression, "I'm buying the bag."

"You're missing my point on purpose, aren't you." I went monotone.

"Yup." He shot me a grin that could rival the Cheshire Cat's.

"…Ugh."

I left the store with a new bag and diminished pride. A loud clanging rang through the air and my hands flew to my ears. Did I mention it was _loud?_ People began moving towards the center of town.

"What do you think they're doing?" Ed speculated. _They're probably going to the miracle gathering thing. But should I tell them? They might suspect something… But should I care? Do I even want them to know?_

"Maybe we should follow them." _Well there goes that chance._

"Yeah. Lex, you coming?"

"What? Oh, yeah."

* * *

_How did I end up here? I think going with the flow is turning out to be a bad thing._

I was standing in Liore's church with Ed and Al, more specifically sitting next to Ed. Ed, true to the anime, was listing off-

"-the complete chemical makeup of the average human adult. It's been calculated down to the last microgram, but still there's never been one reported case of successfully creating a human life. And you're telling me something modern science can't do, you can do with prayer?!"

"Lift thy voice to God, and the prayers of the faithful shall be answered!"

"Did I mention all those ingredients I read off; down at the market, a kid could buy every one of them for the spare change in his pocket. As it turns out, humans are pretty cheap."

I sighed. _Nearly every word's the same. Should I say something to change things up, or that would set off some kind of butterfly effect?_

"That's blasphemy! People are- We are all children of God! Created in his image!"

"You have to understand, alchemists are scientists. We don't believe in unprovable concepts like creators or gods. We observe the physical laws that govern this world to try to learn the truth."

_And the Truth's an ass, so is he really worth learning about?_

"It's ironic, really. That through the application of science, we have in many ways been given the power to play gods ourselves."

"So you're putting yourself on the same level as God? That's just… sheer arrogance!"

"You know, there's an old myth about a hero who flew on wings made of wax. He thought he could touch the sun, but when he got to close, his wings melted and he came crashing back down to Earth. Right, Al?"

"Brother…"

"I'm sorry, miss, this is hard for me to ask, but do you think your Father Cornello could even save an arrogant scientist like me?"

_I hope you know you're a really bad actor, Ed._

A look of joy lit Rose's face. It really made me feel bad to know she was being played.

"Of course, that's wonderful! If anyone can lead you to the Creator's light, he can!"

"Great."

**_BANG_**

"What the hell?!" Ed and I both turned around to see one of the monks, Cray I think was his name. A smoking gun held in his hand, while Al fell to the ground with a frightful clash.

_It doesn't make any sense! Everything before now has been following Brotherhood! Cray only shot Al in the 2003 one!_

Rose screamed, "Cray, what are you doing?!"

"This is God's will, not mine, Rose." I felt frozen. What was going on?

Al's head rolled to my feet as Cray got closer to Ed and I. Shaking, my eyes locked on Cray's gun, I picked the lifeless helmet up off the ground. As Ed began to move towards Cray, I handed him the head.

My voice barely audible I whispered, "You might want this."

In that moment, Al stood up, causing Cray to turn. Taking that as his queue, Ed threw Al's helmet at Cray's head. Thankfully it reached its target and the monk was knocked cold. I released a breath I didn't know I had been holding.

"He doesn't have a head!"

"Yeah, that's Al."

Al picked his head up off the ground. He leaned forward so his blood seal was visible, as was the whole 'lack of a human body' thing. "Please don't be scared, this is just how I am."

"You- You're empty!"

Unable to stay quiet, I smiled, "Well, I wouldn't say he's _empty. _I mean, there's a soul in there, right?" Ed looked at me, surprised.

Al sounded confused, "You're taking this well."

"Ah, well you see- I kinda- I- um…." I pulled in a deep breath, trying to buy some time. To think up some reason for me not to be freaking out. "Unless Al became hollow between the time I first met him and now, nothing's really changed. Alphonse is still Alphonse, metal or flesh."

Our little conversation had distracted the three of us from the fact that Rose was backing up, the look of horror still in place. She whirled around and ran.

"Hey, wait!" Ed called after her. As we ran after Rose, I whipped out my inhaler. Why take the chance of a problem later?

We finally caught up with her in a large room with a dirt floor. She stood at the front of the room, her head hanging. Standing on a platform in the back of the room was Cornello, but next to him was an unfamiliar character. I was pretty sure it was a girl, but I wasn't sure.

She was dressed entirely in black, her face covered with a black scarf. Her vivid leaf-green eyes darted between the three of us. And in stark contrast to her black clothing, a brightly glowing pendant hung at her chest. From the distance I was at, I could only tell that the glimmering gem in the middle was a dark jade.

"State Alchemists, brutal enforcers. I knew that one of you would show up someday."

"Yeah? Is it because you're a swindler who deceives his believers, or because you have a Philosopher's Stone?"

Cornello raised his hand, the ring on his finger blatantly obvious. "You mean this? The ring is just a ring. I am God's humble servant, it is from he alone I derive my power."

Ed began moving forward. "Still trying to sell that line, huh? If that's the way you're gonna be I guess I'll have to come up there and beat it out of ya'."

The girl watched passively, not seeming to have a care in the world.

"My, you really are quite the incorrigible heathen, aren't you?" He turned to Rose. "Do you remember what I told you, Rose?"

"Y-Yes, Father Cornello." She moved her hand, and a gun that was hidden by shadows appeared in the light.

"When did she get the gun…?" I muttered.

"Good, now I want you to shoot the Fullmetal Alchemist."

"B-But Father, it didn't work when Cray tried to! He's empty!"

Ed fumed, "He's not the Fullmetal Alchemist! IT'S ME!"

Cornello was taken aback, "_You're_ the Fullmetal Alchemist?!"

There was a small scoff from the girl in black."Of course he is. I can hardly believe that you couldn't tell."

I face-palmed. I honestly didn't get why he would announce that.

The gun turned to Ed. Then her hand began to shake, then faced the ground once again.

"Why do you hesitate? It's God's will Rose. Don't you recall after your fiance's tragic death, who brought you out of the very depths of despair? Have you forgotten?"

"I-It was you, Father…"

"That's right, it was I who lead you into God's light. And do you recall what it is I said to you then?"

"You said you would bring him back to life!" The gun resumed its position, pointing at Ed. "I'm sorry, but I… I have to do this. I don't have any choice."

"He's been lying to you, Rose!"

"You're wrong! Father Cornello will bring him back to life! I have faith!" Her finger twitched on the trigger.

The conviction in her voice, the steadiness of her gun; they were both stronger than they were in the anime. If she pulled that trigger, she wouldn't miss. I didn't know where she would hit him or if it would be fatal, but I did know that I couldn't sit back and do nothing.

"Rose, wait!" I stepped in front of Ed. "What God would want you to sin in his name? Isn't the point of God to keep people on the path to heaven? What true God would sully his children's hands to avoid dirtying His own?" _Please work…_

"Are you trying to get killed?!" Ed shouted behind me. Rose's arm began to wobble again. I moved toward her slowly. The conflicting thoughts and emotions were flickering in her eyes. Finally I was close enough. I took the gun from her hand, prying her quivering fingers from it.

"There's no good from pointless violence, Rose." I whispered. Then, taking me off-guard, she pulled me into a hug. "Ah… there, there?"

"If you want anything done, I guess I'll have to do it myself!" The four of us looked up in time to see Cornello pulling a lever (which looked a lot like a fire alarm to me). The jangle of something metal opening was followed by a low growl.

"Aw, crap…" Why did I forget about the freaky mutation?

"But I believe my chimera should be up to the task!"

"Is this the kind of thing you do with the Philosopher's Stone? That's just twisted." Ed stepped forward, clapping his hands.

I tapped Rose's shoulder. "Ah, Rose, I believe it would be wise for us to, ah, back up a bit."

She nodded, still seemingly off. We took a few small steps back. I clicked open the gun and dumped the bullets on the ground, just as Ed's fingertips touched the dirt. Bright blue lightning shot around him, and I won't deny that I was watching in awe.

Up from the ground rose Ed's spear. You know, the one with the dragon on the spearhead? Yeah, in case you're wondering, it _was_ even cooler in person.

"No transmutation circle?! So the State Alchemist title isn't just for show, you truly are gifted!" A dark smirk filled his features, while the girl in black merely rolled her eyes. "However…"

The chimera lunged at Ed. It took a swipe with its front paw. Ed managed to block it, but the chimera's vicious claws sliced right through the spear and slashed his pants. On the left leg, of course.

_Am I the only who thinks that Al should be doing something?_

"You're little spear is no match for chimera claws that tear through iron!"

Ed grinned. "You shredded my pants." He lifted his leg and landed a blow, knocking the transmute backward. "I guess those claws don't do too well against steel!"

"Bite him you stupid beast!"

The chimera rushed forward, latching its teeth onto Ed's right arm. It stayed there, chewing away at an arm that wasn't going to give.

"You like that, kitty? Go on, get a good taste!" With a sharp kick, the chimera was thrown away from Ed, this time unconscious. Ed's automail arm became visible through the rips in his coat.

A look of astonishment and realization appeared on Cornello's face. "You're arm, a brother trapped in armor… I see. You did it, didn't you? The one thing even a novice alchemist knows is strictly forbidden!"

"Why don't you come down here and try me? I'll show you real quick who the novice is!"

"Rose, this is the price of their sin. These fools attempted human transmutation. The greatest taboo for any alchemist!"

Okay, I want this said now. I hate bullies. I hate manipulators. And most importantly, I _hate_ when people who do bad things harp on others' screw-ups. And hate can be a great motivator.

"Who are you to talk?! I can bet that they've been better people despite their mistakes than you'll be in your entire life! The only good thing you've done is fill people with hope, but even that's fake!" I saw the girl's eyes narrow, while Cornello simply looked enraged.

"I am the emissary of the sun God, Leto!"

I sighed. "Apparently _everyone_ ignores my points."

"Father, we just want you to hand over the stone before you get hurt." Al held out a hand, just a little.

"What, so you can use it for yourselves? I think not! If you're so adamant about playing god, how about I send you to meet him instead?" He lifted his cane and red light spread along its surface, turning it into a machine gun.

I grabbed Rose and pulled her closer to Ed and Al.

"Hey!"

"I don't think you really want to become Swiss cheese, so come on!"

"What…?"

"Cornello." Her voice was sharp and it sent shivers down my spine. "The boss wants you to try not to shoot the girl." She reached into the folds of her jacket and pulled something out. She stuck it to the wall behind her, and in a flash of red, disappeared.

Then came the rain of bullets. I couldn't hear anything over the sound of bullets on stone, but I did see the flash of blue light. As the dust cleared, there was Ed, standing in front of a hastily transmuted wall.

"Nah, me and God don't get along too well. Even if I went, he'd probably just send me right back here."

Cornello growled in frustration. Without warning, Al scooped me and Rose up. Cornello re-aimed and fired at Al's back. Rose screamed, but I just covered my ears. Bullets on metal is _really loud_.

"This way!" Ed yelled, clapping his hands and pressing them to a wall. Blue erupted, leaving as very… Ed styled door in its place.

Being carried by Al… was not as comfortable as one may think. Because if you do think that, you might want to remember the fact that Al is _made of metal_. Very hard metal, may I add.

The rest of the incident went by in a blur. Ed exposed Cornello, Rose's false hope was totally shattered, and Cornello's Philosopher's Stone was proved to be fake. All done, right? Well, it seemed I missed a detail. How dare I call myself a fan.

But this time, Rose wasn't holding a gun. There was an utterly lost look in her eyes.

"Please give me the Philosopher's Stone!"

"Like I was just saying, it was a fake. Besides, it's shattered now."

"Liar! You want to keep it to yourself, don't you?! So you can use it on your bodies! And try to bring your mother back again!" I flinched. _Bad move._

"You shut up!" Some of Rose's anger faded. "People don't come back from the dead. Not ever."

Rose lowered herself to her knees. "But he promised me… He said if I prayed, he would come back! What am I supposed to believe in now?! Tell me what to do!"

The two Elrics began to walk past Rose. I stopped at Rose's side.

"I can't tell you that. You have to figure that out on your own. You've got two strong legs, Rose, so use 'em." They continued to walk. Rose looked up at me, tears running down her face. I sent her what I hoped was a comforting smile.

"You'll be fine." Then I realized that the two were a good way ahead of me. "Ah, crap! Hey, guys, wait up!" When I caught up, I instantly began glaring at the two.

"Took you long enough."

"I would just like to point out that if I really wanted to run away, I could have by now. And Al, I didn't take you as one to leave someone behind."

"Brother told me not to!" Al pointed to Ed.

"Hey! Didn't I also tell you not to tell?"

"No!"

"Subject change." I announced.

The brothers stared at me. "Huh?"

"Exactly what I said; Subject change. Just go with it."

"So what was all that in the church about gods?"

"I just said what I believed. I don't think any God would take sides in anything. After all, why would he give us free will if he wanted all of us to be perfect?"

An odd look passed across Ed's face before flickering back into nonexistence. "We're on the next train to East City."

"Okaaaaaay. But it's sunset, shouldn't we find a hotel and go in the morning."

"You can sleep on the train. You didn't have much of a problem doing it earlier."

I felt my ears heat up, and I sincerely hoped I wasn't actually blushing.

With any luck, I wouldn't end up sleeping on him this time around.

* * *

**I'm still a day late. So instead of limiting myself to Saturday, I'm going to say _the weekend._ But I'd also like to point out it's not entirely my fault! I share a computer with my mom and younger siblings. My _dad_ of course, gets his _own _computer with _two_ monitors... *mumbles under breath for a moment* But! I still got it out on the weekend! And it's longer than all the other chapters before, just to make up for it!**

**I would also like to thank you to my 4 reviewers, 2 favorites, and 6 followers! Every time I get the email about you guys, I (embarrassingly) jump up and down, squeal once, and proceed to show my parental units. Needless to say, you guys are awesome!**

**And for readers who haven't reviewed, I think you should review, just so I know what others think. If there's something you think can be made better, you should tell me!**

**Also, I was watching this video, and this person was ranting about how much they hated Ed x OC pairings. And something dawned on me:**

**There are more Canon x OC pairings where the Canon x Canon is lacking something.**

**Now, I want it said that I only recently really began reading fanfictions, and have only looked into a few fandoms, so this information may be incorrect, but here are a few examples.**

**Fairy Tail: There are A LOT of Natsu x Lucy stories, but very few Natsu x OC or Lucy x OC pairings._  
_**

**Ghost Hunt: I have yet to see a single Naru x OC pairing.**

**Just two, true. But I like to see myself at being very good at analyzing pairing possibilities and coming out with the correct outcome. For example, I knew the instant Kyo crashed through the roof that he would end up with Tohru.**

**But with Edward and Winry, there was always something that seemed to be missing. I am not questioning the author's choice; that is the beauty of being an author, you do what you want. But that is my opinion. **

**Now, I must go write a bit on Lesson to the Proud, my Warriors fanfic. (= Shameless self-advertising)**

**Auf Wiedersehen! **


	7. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own FMA, FMA:B, Phineas and Ferb, or the German language. Nor do I own a properly functioning computer. T_T**

**Technology mocks me.**

* * *

The landscape sped by Edward's window. It was barely visible in the dark of night. Ed looked away from the window. Lex was curled on the seat next to him, hugging the bag with the book close. Her glasses were at an odd angle, but it didn't seem to bother her.

"Hey, Al." The sound of moving metal told him that Al was looking at him. "Lex is pretty protective of that book. She's only had it for a day. Don't you think that's a little weird?"

"She does seem like she doesn't want us looking at it."

"I think it might have something to do with how she appeared in Mustang's office." A frown pulled at the corners of his mouth. He didn't know what to think of this girl.

The amulet resembling those worn by anonymous murderers. So , bad. Yet she looked surprised to learn of its meaning and utterly horrified when she saw the, um, body parts. Not to mention her little speech to Rose. But that could easily be good acting. She knew things she shouldn't have known, like how he would react to being called 'small'. And how she reacted to Al losing his head. Even Winry had looked frightened the first time she saw Al after the transmutation, even if only for a few seconds. And she seemed to know who Hughes was, even though she couldn't have met him before.

_Wait, Elysia's name was on the back of the photo. _Realization hit him like a wave.

"Alphonse! Elysia's name was on the _back _of the photo!"

"Huh?"

"When Lieutenant Colonel Hughes showed Lex that picture of Elysia, she squealed her name! Her excuse about knowing that was that it was on the back, but Lex didn't see the back until after!"

"How would she know that?"

"Exactly!" Ed sighed. "As much as I hate to slow down on looking for the Philosopher's Stone again, I think we should watch her a little more closely."

A clink of Al's told Ed that he had nodded his head. "Right."

Ed's eyes wandered back to Lex's sleeping form. She shifted and a small smile appeared in her face. He definitely didn't know what to think.

(-Lex-)

I have really, really weird dreams. Maybe it was induced by the train, but _it was weird_. You must not underestimate the weird. For you to understand, I must tell of the dream.

When it started, I honestly thought I was back home for a moment. Until I realized that none other than Perry the Platypus was next to me. But that was just the tip of the 'WTF' iceberg.

The scene changed to a twilight expanse, and Doofenshmirtz was chasing Perry on what looked like a big yellow banana. Off in the distance was a little brown speck. Suddenly zooming up on it, it turned out to be a bay Pegasus. Being ridden by Edward and Rose.

_And I'm not done._

They flew into a temple, where my school teachers were on this balcony, just watching. Some random person pushed a stone button and Rose just _disappeared._ Then a second later I'm riding the Pegasus with Ed, about to fall off. So I instinctively wrapped my arms around his waist. We flew through this swirling purple course, where the finish was a huge round door with Excalibur on it.

And on top of that, when we went through the Excalibur door, I was suddenly riding a palomino with Ed riding next riding next to me. His Pegasus seemed to have lost its wings.

It was right then that I was shaken by a large metal hand.

"Whaaaaaaaaaaat?" I drawled sleepily.

"They just announced we're almost back to East City."

I brought myself to a sitting position, rubbing my eyes and adjusting my glasses. The light from the window was a pale yellow, so I guessed it wasn't long past sunrise. "And just when I was having a fun dream, too."

Al sat back down in his seat. "What was it about?"

I opened my mouth to launch into the whole thing, like I would with my mom. I closed it as I once again became painfully aware that I wasn't home. That and Ed was sitting next to me, and I'd rather not have him knowing that he was featured in Lex's Psycho Subconscious. And in situations I would consider embarrassing.

My ears burned red. "Um… Just something about a platypus."

Ed shifted to look at me. "What's a platypus?"

"You don't know what a platypus is?" _They seriously don't have platypuses-er, platypi… platypeople?_ _Seriously, what is the plural word for that?..._ _Whatever._

Al cocked his head a little. "I've never heard of a platypus."

"Um, well…" I put my hand on my chin in the classic thinking pose. "A platypus is like a cross between a beaver and duck."

"How would that work?" The brothers looked totally lost.

"Well, it looks mostly like a big beaver, but it has otter-like feet and a duck bill. It's a mammal, but it lays eggs, and the males have a venomous spur on their back feet."

"You're making that up!" Ed sneered.

"I am not! They live in Australia!"

"Where's Australia then?"

"Ah… Really, really far away from here."

"So you're making it up!"

"Just because I can't tell you where Australia is doesn't mean it doesn't exist!"

"Ye-"

"Passengers for East City, please exit the train. Passengers for East City, please exit the train."

I breathed a sigh of relief. _Couldn't have come a moment sooner._

The people in the seats around us began filing out. I couldn't help but notice the similarity to a school bus. I started down the aisle when a flash of green caught my eyes. I stopped dead.

A girl was staring at me. She couldn't have been more than a few years older than me, maybe sixteen or seventeen. She wore her chestnut brown hair in a high ponytail. It reached her waist, curling around itself at the end. Her skin was tanned, and all in all, she was pretty. But what threw me off were her eyes. They were a vivid leaf-green, sharp and unfeeling. My eyes flashed to her chest. Sure enough, a dark jade jewel hung there, pulsing with the faintest of lights.

She was the girl from Liore.

"Lex, keep moving!" Ed snapped behind me.

"Es tut mir leid!" I muttered, walking off of the train.

"What?"

"Es tut mir leid ist 'sorry' auf Deutsch."

"Now you're just speaking gibberish." Ed shook his head. "Anyway, we have to tell Colonel Bastard about Liore." Al nodded. I sighed. _Does he really not get that Mustang's been looking out for them all this time, or is he just in denial? Maybe he just delights in acting like he hates him._

I twisted my neck back and forth. _Man, sleeping on that train really messed up by back. I wonder if they have chiropractors in Amestris._

I got more and more nervous as we walked through the halls of EastCity military HQ. Al was walking beside me, Ed just a few steps ahead. He was walking with a stiffness. He was obviously not looking forward to this.

_I wonder if Hawkeye will need to break up another fight._ I grinned. That would be fun.

Ed pulled to a stop in front of the door to Mustang's office. And just stood there for a moment.

"You should knock this time, Brother." Al suggested.

"No way!" Ed proceeded to let himself in.

"Ed!" Alphonse groaned.

"Ugh… Do they do that _every time_ they see each other?" Neither the animes nor the manga had shown the degree of bickering that could go on between Roy and Ed. The sound of rain pattering against Al as he walked next to me was almost all I could hear. The cold water was beginning to soak through my clothes, causing them to cling to my skin uncomfortably. Ed was walking a good two yard in front of us, a tick mark still visible on his head.

"Not _every_ time. Usually it's a lot less, but I think Brother's a bit stressed out."

"Yeah, I'd expect." I really was just a dead weight to them. "If you'd let me, I can try to help you out a bit."

"You don't need to do that!"

"Ah, it's the least I could do." _Really, it is the least._

I felt a shiver go down my spine.

"Are you cold?"

My eyes darted around. "Not really."

There.

Walking through the rain was a tall, dark-skinned man. Wearing a gold jacket and sunglasses with white hair, he was unmistakable. And he was heading toward us.

"Dirty word!" I hissed. I sped up, nearly slipping on the slick stone.

"Lex, what is it?"

I grabbed Ed's sleeve, pulling him in the opposite direction.

"What are you doing?!"

"Shut up and move!" I threw another look over my shoulder. He was running at us now.

"Would you let go of me?!" He had caught up. His right arm flew out towards Ed. "What the-"

"_Shit!" _I pushed Ed out of the way. He skidded a bit, then caught on to the whole _running _thing.

"Brother!" Al was still a bit behind us.

"Come on, Al!"

We were off. Debris from another blast collided with a transmuted wall. A few loose stones scraped my skin as they flew through the air. We came to a flight of stairs and began scrambling down. An explosion of rocks above our heads sent pebbles raining down on our heads. Scar jumped down in front of us.

Blue sparks ran along Scar's arm, and the ground collapsed underneath us. As we began to fall, Al caught the edge of broken stairs and Ed's leg. I managed to work my way onto Al's back. Another miniscule flicker and Al's handhold was gone. I landed hard on my ankle and a sharp pain sparked in my entire left leg.

Ed clapped his hands, "Guys, grab on!"

A stone pillar moved beneath us, carrying us several yards before being broken by Scar. I tumbled off the transmuted pillar and my ankle twisted underneath me. Before I could even fully fall, both brothers grabbed one of my arms and yanked me to my feet.

"Damn it, what the hell is this guy's problem! I only tore his shirt, and that was almost three years ago!"

I nearly tripped again. They had met Scar three years ago? Did that mean the whole Tucker incident was over with?

Ed grabbed a wall and turned sharply down an alley. Within seconds of entering the alley, I finally slipped. I slid a good four feet before my feet hit the alley wall.

"_Ow."_

Blue snaked across the wall, exploding at the end of the alley. I sat up, staring at the man at the opening of the alley.

"Who are you anyway?! Why are you after us?!" Ed shouted at him.

Scar stalked calmly toward Edward. "As long as there are creators like you in the world, there must also be destroyers."

"Looks like we'll have to fight." Ed clapped his hands, making a dagger in his hand.

The smile on Scar's face was outright demonic. "Gutsy one, aren't you?"

The Elrics charged him, throwing separate puches. Scar slid easily between them.

"Too slow." Then there were pieces of Al everywhere. Since I didn't know what else to do, I began collecting the fragments closest to me. Al himself landed on the ground a foot away.

"Al!" Ed rounded on Scar. "You bastard!" He took a swing at Scar with his dagger, only to have his arm grabbed by the State Alchemist killer. Ed was blown back as Scar's attempted transmutation failed. Ed discarded his coat and transmuted his automail to a blade.

"Brother, don't! Just run away!"

"You idiot! I'm not gonna leave you and Lex behind!" Ed rushed at his attacker. But as he neared him, Scar captured the automail in his hands.

"First I have to get rid of this abhorrent right arm." Gears and wires and pieces of metal clattered to the ground. "Now you will not be able to use your heretic's alchemy. I will give you a moment to pray to God."

"Brother! Run away!"

"Move your behind!" I couldn't hear anything. Nothing but the rain. I couldn't hear any vehicles, not even faintly in the distance. And if they didn't get there on time, Ed would be very, very dead.

"Unfortunately, there isn't any god I'd like to pray to."

I still couldn't hear them. "I am an idiot." I mused. I picked up the only projectile I could get my hands on; a small fragment of Al's armor. It whizzed through the air, hitting the back of Scar's head. He spun his attention to me. I gulped.

"You should stay out of things that aren't your concern, girl." His voice was quietly vicious.

"Lex, what are you-" Al started while Ed simply stared in a mix of shock and 'what does she think she's doing'. Even I didn't really know.

"You believe that Ishvala is the almighty creator, right?" When he didn't respond, I continued, "If Ishvala is the Creator, then he made Amestrians, too, right? He gave His children free will, and that means they can mess up! Amestris messed up, and they're still messing up! But so are you! Killing only leads to more killing, so what you're doing just-"

"Shut up, girl!"

I shut up.

And I finally heard the cars. And the guns.

Scar danced away from the rain of bullets. I let out a sigh of relief and leaned back against the alley wall. I could still hear the fighting going on, but the alley felt so far away from it all.

A loud crash was followed by, "NOW FACE THE ALCHEMY THAT HAS BEEN PASSED DOWN THE ARMSTRONG LINE FOR GENERATIONS!" I couldn't help but grin at that.

Ed crawled over to Al.

"You okay, Al?"

"Why didn't you run when I told you to?!"

"I wasn't just going to leave you here with that psychopath!"

"Running wouldn't have helped anyway. He was after Ed." I pointed out. Al rounded on me.

"And what were you thinking?!"

"Yeah, do you have some sort of death wish?!"

"Don't you go ganging up on me, I was trying to buy some time! Which I wouldn't have had to do if you didn't just lay there!" I poked my finger at him.

"Only an idiot accepts death!" Al proceeded to haul off and punch Ed square in the jaw.

"You could've been killed you know!"

"And maybe I wouldn't have! Choosing to die is something only an idiot does!"

"Hey, easy with the idiot stuff, I'm still your older brother!"

"I'll say it all I want!" Al grabbed Ed's shirt, which only caused his own arm to fall off. "Oh, great! Now my arm fell off because my brother's a big fat idiot!"

Ed sighed and hung his head. "We're really falling apart, aren't we. We look like we belong in a junkyard."

"But we're alive."

Suddenly I felt like I was intruding. I shouldn't have been there in that alley with them. Heck, I shouldn't have been in freaking _Amestris._ But there I was, butting in on a touching and meaningful moment.

Hawkeye walked up behind Ed, draping a coat over his shoulders. Then she moved to me, handing me one too.

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it." She smiled. Then Havoc and Armstrong were there, too.

"Hey, Havoc."

"The chief got you into a bit of trouble here, huh?" He grinned.

"I didn't do anything!" Ed protested.

"That's debatable, you know."

"Who is this tiny young lady?" Armstrong asked loudly. Not that anything he says is ever really quiet.

"I'm not tiny, you're just freakishly large!" I protested. I noticed that I was definitely smaller here than home, but I was still taller than Ed! I sighed. "My name's Lex Hadesty."

"It is an honor to meet you! I am ALEX LOIUS ARMSTRONG, THE STRONG ARM ALCHEMIST!" A huge grin enveloped my face.

"You really do sparkle!"

"Yes, they along with my alchemy have been passed down the Armstrong line FOR GENERATIONS!"

I laughed.

Maybe I was intruding, but by all things bright and beautiful, I was going to make the most of it. If I couldn't go home, I could at least try to make things easier.

"Well, Ed, Alphonse, what are you going to do now?"

We were again in Mustang's office, his team, Hughes and Armstrong sitting on the couches or standing nearby. I was sitting on the arm of the couch next to Hughes, my ankle wrapped in the 1910's version of an ACE bandage.

"We're going to keep moving. We can't just sit around. Before we can make any headway on getting your body back, first we have to get my arm back to normal."

"Brother!"

"We've got no choice! It's been a long time, but we need to make a visit to our mechanic."

Riza turned to Roy. "On another matter, maybe it would be wise to assign Lex to someone else."

_What?_

"Hm. Fullmetal, what do you think?" Ed seemed confounded that Roy would ask his opinion.

"W-Well…" He looked like he wanted to say something, but then glanced at me.

"Don't hold back what you want to say. I already know I'm not trusted." _Didn't expect to be._ I crossed my arms, staring at the floor. Ed continued to look down.

"Okay, I'm lost." Hughes announced.

"Me as well." Armstrong immediately looked to the Colonel.

For some reason, I didn't want Mustang explaining it. It was my fall down a rabbit hole. It was my story. But my eyes never once left the floor.

"I touched the wrong transmutation circle. I materialized here, in the Colonel's office." I fumbled with the wet flaps of my pockets, trying to remember which one I put the necklace in. _I really hope my iPod isn't busted. Oh, there it is._ "I got this in a package right before I got transported. I just found out what it meant a few days ago."

Immediately memories of that murder scene flashed in my mind. I shuddered, and shoved it back in my pocket. There were several moments of silence before Ed spoke.

"I… I don't think she's a threat, but I know she's not telling us something."

"So what do you propose we do with her?"

"Ah…"

"Why don't we ask her what she wants?" Al chimed in. _How about you guys decide for me!_ I had never been good at making decisions.

Roy 'hmmed' again, resting his chin on his hands. I could almost see the gears turning in his head as he though out the possibilities.

"Well, Lex, would you like to be reassigned?"

My head snapped up. I stared at him through wide eyes.

"I-I don't know…"

"Think about it. Fullmetal, get some rest. Come here tomorrow before your train and we'll discuss what to do with Lex."

Ed nodded.

"Armstrong, follow them and make sure that Scar doesn't come back to finish the job."

Since Al's hollowness was exposed, I got to sleep in an actual bed. Not that I was sleeping right then. No, I was staring at the ceiling.

Why couldn't they have decided for me? I didn't want to be reassigned, but if Ed and Al didn't want me tagging along, I definitely didn't want to get in their way. But a part of me didn't want to take the chance of getting killed, didn't want to watch events play out. I glanced over to Ed. It looked like he was sleeping, but one never could tell with that midget.

"Alphonse, what do you think I should do?" I whispered.

"Sleep?"

I stuck my tongue out at him. "That's not what I mean, and you know it."

"What do you _want_ to do?"

"I don't know."

"Yes you do."

"Ah…" Thoughts bounced around in my head._ I want to stay with you guys, just start with that._ "W-well, I'd like to stay with you guys, but… I really don't want to get in your way. Plus, I wouldn't be a whole lot of help anyway."

"You stopped Rose from shooting Brother."

"Well, yeah, but-"

"_And_ you stalled long enough to stop Scar from hurting Brother."

"But there's a lot of fighting in you guys' path, and I'm…"

"I'm sure you'd be fine." Ed's voice nearly startled me off my bed.

"I _don't fight!_ I'm a pacifist! I mean, reading about it in fiction books is one thing, but in real life…" I shook my head. "If someone said kill one to save a million, I'd get shot thinking about it."

"Then don't get into that position! You did fine with Cornello and Scar."

"You just want to find out what I'm hiding."

A spark lit in Ed's eyes. "So you admit you're hiding something!"

Crap. I wasn't going to tell him… But I supposed I could hint. I was never any good at keeping secrets anyway.

"Of course I'm hiding something."

That seemed to throw them both for a loop.

"And I swear I'll tell you eventually. But I have some things to figure out before I tell you guys much of anything. Except for what a platypus is."

"Now you're _definitely _coming with us!"

"You can't just decide things on your own like that!"

"I thought you wanted us to tell you what to do! So I'm telling you you're coming with us."

…

…

"I'm just a pile of contradictions, aren't I?"

I fell back on my bed. I supposed that worked out pretty well. My eyes began to force their way shut.

_But when things really start to pick up… Will I be able to manage?_

* * *

**Yeah, I actually had that dream. It was so realistic, it's scary. It was so much fun! You have not lived until you've dreamed that you rode on a pegasus with Edward Elric! **

**But yeah, my computer's being mean, and I'm hoping my dad can get it fixed before it messes up my writing schedule too much.**

**On another note, I have made a deviantART account, with the same user name with no spaces. Mostly it's just me messing around with this paint thing I discovered, editing out Winry and using my meager technological skills to turn her into Lex. Eventually I suppose I'll get around to drawing her friends (who will remain nameless to you until I introduce them).**

**So... yeah. And to TaylorRiley17, done and done. ;)**

**... My parents ears hurt now.**


	8. Chapter 7

**Discalimer: I no own FMA or FMA:B, but I do own Lex.**

* * *

_Aaaaaaaaand_ _I'm on a train again._

Trains were getting really old, really fast. I sat across from Edward and Armstrong, bobbing my leg up and down. I had been forced to give _Through the Doors _back to the library, so I had virtually nothing to do. I could've always pulled out my iPod, but there was that whole _massive technological difference_ issue in Amestris. It had already been twenty minutes or so since we had left the station, and about fifteen since the train stopped.

Suddenly Armstrong stood, bringing himself up to his full height. I didn't get why everyone always seems so down on him in their fanfics, I thought the guy was hilarious. "I MUST USE THE RESTROOM, AND ON MY WAY BACK I WILL CHECK ON ALPHONSE ELRIC!"

See? _Funny_! Did I mention he sparkled again?

I brought myself to my feet as well, putting my hands on my hips. "THANK YOU FOR INFORMING US, MAJOR ARMSTRONG!" As he walked away I collapsed in a heap of giggles on my seat. Ed shot me a funny look before turning his attention back to the outside.

A minute of silence past and it was almost louder than a blaring horn. Even worse, I was bored out of my skull. Normally I wouldn't intentionally pester someone, but this was a dire circumstance.

"Hey, Ed?"

"What?"

"I'm bored."

"So find something to do."

"… But I don't know _what _to do."

"Just find something to preoccupy yourself. The train should get moving again in a few minutes."

"You are so unhelpful." I fell back so I was lying on the seat, feet toward the aisle. Then a thought hit me. "_One night when we were all in bed, Mrs. O'Leary hung a lantern in the shed, and when a cow kicked it over, she winked her eye and said it'll be a hot time in the old town to night! Fire! Fire! Fire!"_

"What the _hell _are you singing?" Ed was staring at me with wide eyes. I stared at him blankly.

"A song. _Pour on water, pour on water! Save my children, save my children! Jump, lady, jump!_ Splat." I clapped my hands. Of course, what I wasn't expecting was to have my _hands catch on fire._ I squealed, waving my hands up and down. Flame flew off my fingers. But instead of the little wisps like a normal fire, it came off like when you shake your hands free of water.

"Calm down! Are you trying to set the train on fire?"

"My bleeping hands are on fire and you're worried about the train?!"

"Does it hurt or did it just scare you?"

_Click_. I stopped panicking. I raised my hands up to where I could look at them. He was right. It didn't hurt, but come on, MY HANDS WERE ON FIRE! Who wouldn't panic?!

I wiggled my fingers experimentally. The fire danced across my skin. "So, ah, how did I do this exactly? More importantly, how do I stop it?"

A frown placed itself firmly on Ed's face. "I've never seen this kind of alchemy before."

Wait… I just did alchemy? … I would've facepalmed right there if my hands weren't still alight. I mean, _duh_ that was alchemy!

"So what you're saying is… you have no idea?" Ed shook his head. "Just turn off!"

And like that, the fire was gone. Huh. Ed let out a breath. Then he got that look, you know, the one that makes smart people think 'oh crap'.

"You used alchemy without a transmutation circle."

"Eh heh, yeah, about that…"

"So you tried human transmutation."

"No!" I shook my head back and forth vigorously.

"Then how-"He cut off as Armstrong came back and sat back down in his seat.

I switched to a whisper, "Look, I'll tell you when we get to Resembool!"

I had bought myself a little time, but one way or another; I would have to tell them something in Resembool.

I pulled back into what I called my 'shell'. The world around me seemed to fade away as I receded into the depths of my mind. Should I tell them the whole truth? Just the bit about the through the gate? I shifted as the train began moving again. Paper crinkled as I moved my bag.

_There's that… And Tony, too._ I just hoped that they would be enough to help.

Suddenly Armstrong squashed Ed as he stared out the window.

"Dr. Marcoh! You're Dr. Marcoh, aren't you?!" I jolted back to attention. Marcoh! I stared out the window, and there wasn't a doubt: That was Tim Marcoh. The look of pure fear on his face was proof enough. He took off running.

Ed turned to Armstrong, "Someone you know?"

"He's a talented alchemist who used to work in Central. He was studying how to apply alchemy to medical treatment, but he had been reported missing after the war in Ishval."

Something lit up in Ed's eyes. "Let's get off here, Major. He probably knows something about bio-alchemy."

_Considering he was working in the _medical _field_, _duh._

Armstrong picked up Al from the sheep car. We wandered around, asking people about Dr. Marcoh. None of them knew who he was.

"Ask for Dr. Mauro."

"But we're looking for Dr. Marcoh, aren't we?"

"Just trust me."

We finally got the right directions, which lead us to a run-down building. I pressed myself against the wall of building. I remembered that Marcoh would come out with a gun, and there was no way I was going to be in the line of fire. Ed knocked on the door and began to open it, coming face to face with Marcoh's gun.

"What do you want?! Are you here to take me back?!"

Armstrong calmly raised his hand. "Please calm down Doctor."

"I don't want to go back there! Please, let me go!"

"You've got it all wrong, we just-"

"Have you come to silence me?!"

"No we-"

"You can't trick me!"

I could feel the tick mark appear on my head. It was an odd sensation, but I wasn't really paying attention to that. I stepped away from the wall. "Would you _shut up!_ We're here to talk, baka!"

Marcoh's gun lowered a tad. His eyes shot back and forth between the four of us. He sighed, the gun moving away completely. "Come in."

We arranged ourselves around a square wooden table. As much as I tried to pay attention to the conversation, my thoughts kept dragging me away. I wasn't sure if I was in the original or Brotherhood anymore; Should I warn Marcoh? If it was Brotherhood, I wouldn't have to, but he dies in the original. Then came an even more pressing question: Why was I here in the first place?

A bang on the table jolted me back. "Dr. Marcoh, please show me the research data!"

"Major, who is this boy?"

"This boy is Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist."

"You might be able to make a complete Philosopher's Stone. But I can't show you the data."

"But-"

"You mustn't desire such a thing."

"Even if it's to get our bodies back?!"

"You mustn't! It is the devil's research. You'll go through hell if you study it."

"I've already been through hell!"

"I'm sorry… Please, just leave."

I followed as we left Dr. Marcoh's. Ed was having an angry stare-off with the ground. I wanted to say something, but I couldn't make any words come out. We sat on a bench at the train station, waiting for our train to arrive.

"Are you going to report Dr. Marcoh to Central?"

"I met a small town doctor by the name of Mauro. I see no reason to report that."

"Hey!" Marcoh, breathing heavily, walked straight up to Ed, handing him a piece of paper. "This is where my research is hidden. If you still think you won't regret learning the truth, take a look. You may be able to find the truth behind the truth." He turned around and began walking away. "I pray you boys get your bodies back."

If I was going to warn him, it had to be now. "Dr. Marcoh! Be right back." I said quickly. I ran up to Marcoh. "There's a possibility some, ah, very bad people who might try to come and kill you. Please be careful." He stared at me for a few moments, then nodded.

I headed back to the boys. Ed raised his eyebrow. "What was that all about."

"I was, just, um, thanking him for, h-helping you, that's all."

It was plainly obvious Ed didn't believe me. But can you blame a girl for trying?

We boarded the train, settling down in a seat, this time placing Al's box next to me.

"What does it say, Brother?"

"National Central Library, first branch."

"Makes sense. A forest would be a perfect place to find a tree. There are enough books in there to last several lifetimes."

"If I can find his notes, I'm one step closer to finding the Philosopher's Stone."

* * *

The walk to from the train station to the Rockbell's was pleasant, to say the least. There was green everywhere, dotted with little flowers. I saw sheep, cows, chickens. A huge grin stuck itself to my face when I saw a few horses grazing in a pasture. Then came the Rockbell's big yellow house. Standing outside was a short woman smoking a pipe. A black and white dog with an automail leg rested beside her. Pinako and Den.

I was still out of it, too absorbed in the environment and extreme sense of peace the area gave off to really follow Ed and Pinako's mini-spat. I saw a blonde girl step out onto the balcony. Winry. Something glinted in her hand, then went flying through the air. I pushed Ed over, causing the wrench to continue sailing.

"What the hell?!"

"You were gonna end up on the ground anyway. I just figured you should do it minus the headache."

"Didn't I tell you to call before you visit?!" Winry shouted. Ed laughed nervously. As they began to move inside, I ran back to grab Winry's wrench. As I bent down, a figure in the distance caught my attention. Chestnut hair in a ponytail, tall, dark clothes. But it couldn't be… Could it?

The girl from Liore, and the train? Here? I hadn't even thought about her since I saw her on the train. She had said something about not killing me and then disappeared. I didn't know why she was there, and I really didn't want to find out.

I grabbed the wrench and practically sprinted into the house. The door slammed behind me. The eyes of everyone in the room shot to me. My ears burned. I swallowed.

"Ah… S-Sorry, I was just, ah- Just, here." I held the wrench out to Winry and she took it.

"Thanks."

"Least I could do, considering I made it miss."

Pinako walked around her granddaughter. "Boys, are you going to introduce us to your friend?"

"Oh, I'm Lex Hadesty; it's a pleasure to meet you."

"I'm Pinako Rockbell, and this is my granddaughter, Winry." I shook the short woman's hand. "Is she your girlfriend?"

"No way!" Ed and I exclaimed.

"I'm just traveling with them!"

"Really? Why?" Winry asked.

"Beeeeeeecause. Um, shouldn't we focus on Ed's arm?"

Winry turned to the pile of scrap metal that was the remains of Ed's arm.

"It's really the same as it was before, just in smaller pieces." A wrench came in contact with his head. I just watched, sipping tea that Pinako was kind enough to give me. Tea is a good thing for frayed nerves.

"And Al is broken, too? What the heck have you guys been doing?" _Whack._ Now both Elrics were twitching on the ground. "All you two do is worry me!"

Ed began explaining the incident with Marcoh, albeit leaving out several details. And he accuses me of keeping secrets…

"So you want to get to Central as soon as possible."

"Yeah, how long do you think it will take?"

"Looks like you'll need your leg adjusted, too. And your arm will need to be made from scratch."

"It seems you have grown a bit!" Winry commented playfully.

"Shut up!" Refocusing, he turned back to Pinako. "Can you do it in a week?"

Pinako sighed. "Give us a little credit, Ed. Three days." She disconnected the leg and attached a very basic spare.

Ed stood up shakily. "It's a little hard to walk on a leg I'm not used to."

"I'll have it done before you're used to it. But seriously, between materials, assembly, connection, and calibration, that's three all-nighters."

"Sorry for making you work so hard."

"Well you need to get to Central, right? So I'll work my butt off! But you better expect a hefty express fee!"

* * *

Al's box was sitting at the foot of Ed's bed, and Ed's eyes were locked on to me.

"Brother, weren't we going to let her tell us on her own time?"

"That was before she used alchemy without a transmutation circle!"

Al turned to me. "So you-"

I shook my head. "I didn't do human transmutation!"

"Then how did you do it?"

Ed's hard stare made me fidget. I opened my mouth to start.

"And don't try lying! You stutter when you lie."

"I wasn't going to!" I sucked in a breath through my nose. "I'mnotfromAmestris,I'mactuallyfromtheothersideoft heGate,andIknowyouwon'tbelieveme,butIswearI'mtellingthetruth!"

"Did you understand any of that?"

"Could you talk a little slower, please?"

"I'm not from Amestris. But I'm not from Creta, or Aerugo, or Drachma, or anywhere in this world at all. I came through the Gate. I'm from a country called the United States of America. That's why I have this accent."

"Do you think we're-"

"I can prove it! That book, the one that I gave back, it was about a whole bunch of things from my world." I pulled a few sheets of paper from my bag.

"You ripped these out of the book?!"

"Well it was that or be sent to the loony bin!" I handed him the pages with TV's and airplanes, and the page on New York City. And then for good measure, a page about a platypus.

Finally, Ed's eyes widened, and I hoped he got it.

"I told you I didn't make up the platypus."

Ed gave a short laugh, then the seriousness came back. "You must have paid something."

"If I did, I don't know what." I shuddered. "But Truth is creepy as all get out."_ Speaking of creepy, should I tell them about my stalker?_ No. They had enough to worry about without me adding more to their already full plate. I would keep it to myself.

I just hoped it wouldn't come back to bite me in the behind.

* * *

**So my computer had to go to the computer doctor, and it ****_still _****hasn't come back, so I'm forced to use my mom's POS laptop. Then my siblings got flash drives, so they've been hogging this stupid technological device, and I basically wrote this in the last three hours. ****_And_**** I got a mini case of writer's block, so I sat there staring...**

**Basically, be happy this got updated relatively on time.**

**But I got to see Rise of the Guardians, and I thought it was a really good movie. I really liked how Jack Frost is not only the main character, but a good guy! Seriously, the only times I remember Jack Frost being in a movie was when he was either trying to steal Frosty the Snowman's hat, or trying to replace Santa Claus.**

**Reviews are highly appreciated. Review and I shall give you a made-up virtual prize! **


	9. Chapter 8

**I know this chapter is a week late. I did that intentionally. ...Sorta. Instead of thinking of it as a late update, think of it like a TV show that skips a week! **

**Disclaimer: I no own FMA oder FMA:B, nor do I own airplanes, television, iPods, Black Beauty, or Germany. And no, I do not mean the character in Hetalia. Not that I own him either. (I don't know about you, but I'd much rather own Italy)**

* * *

(-Ed-)

Moonlight streamed through the room as Ed continued to throw questions. He still couldn't believe that there was a machine that flew through the sky! And a box with moving pictures! Every time Lex answered a question, another suddenly popped in his head. He asked yet another question and she sighed, rubbing her eyes.

"Es ist mir sehr müde…" She mumbled, her eyelids drooping.

"What did you say?"

"I said 'I am very tired' in German, if I remember right."

"Is that a language on your side of the Gate?" Al asked.

"Mm-hm. I've only had about three years of lessons." She paused. "Hey, what language are we speaking now?"

Ed scoffed gave her an 'are you kidding' look. "Amestrian."

"Don't look at me like that. Where I come from it's called English." She blinked her sea-green eyes rapidly. "I'm about thirty seconds away from falling asleep on you, so can we wrap this up?"

"You're already tired? It's only like-" Ed glanced out the window. Had it really gotten that late already?

"It's only like, really late." Lex muttered before face-planting into her pillow.

Ed lay down, staring at the ceiling. There was another world on the other side of the Gate. The more he thought about it, the more his curiosity increased. But it seemed to have raised more questions than answered them. For example, how did she get there in the first place? If alchemy didn't work in her world, like she said, how was it possible to open the Gate there? And what did she pay to cross?

But it still didn't explain how she knew Elysia's name. The longer they spent with her, the more things she knew that she shouldn't have. If she was from another world, how did she know the names of Amestris's bordering countries? To ask for Mauro instead of Marcoh?

And Ed was going to find out.

* * *

(-Lex-)

The next morning, Ed went to visit his mother's grave, and Al sat outside with a few chickens. I, on the other hand, stayed in the house. I had a tendency to dream about things my subconscious was bothered about, so my night was filled with family, friends, a mysterious green-eyed stalker.

To distract myself from the arisen thoughts, I let myself be drawn to Winry's workroom. While watching the show, I always wanted to figure out how automail worked. Now, I wasn't the engineering type; I just wanted to know how everything functioned.

I peeked in through the door, watching from a distance. I was pretty sure she was working on the shoulder part of Ed's arm, but I wasn't sure. I was amazed at how efficiently Winry worked. It was quite the thing to see, Winry working on automail. I wished they would have shown more of it in the show.

"Are you just going to stand in the doorway, or are you going to come in?"

"Ah! Um, if I'm bothering you, I can leave-" Winry turned in her chair, smiling.

"I just asked if you were going to come in!"

"Um, right." I stepped awkwardly into the room. Most of the walls had several shelves filled with multiple pieces of automail. "I was just watching you work. Ah, where I come from, there isn't any automail."

Winry looked like someone shot her, "No automail?! That's insane!"

I laughed, pulling up the chair so I could see. "Yeah. But this stuff is amazing!"

"Are you interested in becoming a mechanic?"

"Nah, I'm not so good at working with my hands. But I love learning how things fit together." Winry began working on the arm again. The sound of metal against metal made me wince once and a while, but other than that, watching closer definitely made it better.

"So why are you traveling with Ed and Al?" She asked without looking up.

I didn't know how much the Elrics would want me to say. I didn't know how much I wanted to tell Winry, either. "We're all three looking for answers. It's better to search with others, I think." Vague, yes, but at least it wasn't a lie.

"Yeah." Then she pointed to a spot on the already recognizable bicep. "This part gets damaged really easily, and Ed always wears it down because he doesn't take care of it."

I nodded, putting the information in the back of my head.

"Ed and Al get into trouble a lot. He breaks his automail a lot, but this is the first time it's been completely shattered." She tightened a screw with a small screwdriver, and then pointed to another part. "If this isn't oiled regularly, it won't move right. How long do you plan to stick with them?"

I shrugged. "I don't know."

"Hm." After another comment on the automail, she turned in her seat. "Could you do me a favor?"

"Um, sure, I guess…?"

"Could you try to keep them out of trouble?"

"Ah… I'll do my best."

"Great! Back to work!"

The sun moved across the sky, time moving faster than I ever thought it could. Winry pointed out a spot here and there. I was absorbed in watching the slabs of metal slowly become an arm. Pinako brought up a couple of sandwiches up, and the working never stopped. Occasionally, Winry would ask me to grab some tool. Ed peeked into the room a couple of times, impatience coming off him in waves.

When the sun began setting, I told Winry that I was heading downstairs. She nodded, acknowledging that she heard me, but said nothing. She was far too focused on getting that arm done in three days. When I walked down the stairs, Armstrong was having a very loud conversation with the Elrics. Something about their story being 'beautiful'. I didn't disagree, in a way, but he began hugging Ed against his will. And if you know Armstrong, then you also know that he wasn't wearing a shirt.

"Gah! Stop rubbing your chest on me!" Ed squirmed in the big man's arms.

I giggled, loving the comical seen. "You attack-hugged an unarmed man!"

Ed was then torn between glaring at me and struggling against Armstrong.

"I'm sorry, couldn't resist the pun!" I walked over to the couch, sitting next to the still in-box Alphonse. "I really couldn't. It runs in the family."

"You mentioned your family the first night we met. Do you miss them?"

"Oh, yeah." I paused. I didn't want to be insensitive and bring up family, which could possibly cause bad memories for Ed and Al. But Al looked at me like expected me to continue, and now Ed and Armstrong were listening, too. I knew Armstrong didn't know the whole story, but come on, he was Armstrong; he learns secrets one way or the other. "The night I disappeared, I was home alone. I had talked them into going to their various trips. I mean, I was fourteen, I could handle one night with the doors and windows locked and Charlie-barred. They probably got home with the sibs and freaked."

"You have siblings?" Armstrong had released Ed, and he was coming over to sit on the couch.

"An almost twelve brother named Claude and a nine-year-old sister named Selena." Reminded again of Selena and her 'go to Amestris and you'll get killed', and gave a tiny laugh. "We call my Dad the King of the Bad Puns, my Mom's Queen of the Bad Puns, and my grandpa on my dad's side King of the Really Bad Jokes. Yeah, the whole family's pretty punny."

There was a moment of smiles and silence, when it was broken by Pinako's announcement of dinner. Ed, of course, was quite happy when he heard it was stew, and proceeded to launch into his spiel about how it was good, despite the milk. I'd never really had stew before; my family and I aren't big soupy food eaters, but I thought it was pretty good. I can't cook wonderfully, so I envied how good she made it look. Don't get me wrong, I can make it taste good, it just doesn't look pretty.

The dinner conversation had faded to eating, and when the only sound became chewing, I began to feel awkward. So I was just _compelled _to open my mouth and say something.

"Anyone want to hear one of my Grandpa H's bad jokes?"

"How bad are they?" Ed asked, still with food in his cheek.

I shrugged, "It depends on the person hearing it. What's black and white and read all over?" After a few seconds of silence, waiting for anyone to guess, I told them. "A newspaper."

…

"No reaction?…Wow, tough crowd." That at least got a few smiles and a tiny laugh from the brothers.

After I was done eating, I really needed a break. More or less, I was feeling over-stimulated. I was overwhelmed, and I needed to get away from people. Even if I did want to stick around and chat, it was a very bad idea. When I get over-stimulated, I get frighteningly cranky. So I told them I was heading up to bed. I waved a 'g'night' at Winry as I passed her, getting a 'night' back.

I didn't stray from my path straight back to my bed. I picked up my bag and dug through it. I had changed into a set of clothes Hawkeye had bought for me, so my Tony was still in my old pants pocket.

"Ah-ha!" I cheered as my iPod emerged from it's hiding place. Yes, I named my iPod Tony. My aunt bought it for me, and she named hers Abby, so I named mine Tony. Like from NCIS. I turned it on, relieved that it wasn't damaged in the incident with Scar. I scrolled through the pages of apps, looking for the Kindle app. Finding it, I clicked on the over-used app, and then my most read book. Black Beauty. It was an easy read, but it was also one of the first books I ever read. I preferred to read it from my paper copy, with pictures and everything, but I didn't exactly get to _pack_ before the whole teleportation thing. I flipped to the first page, smiling as I remembered my mom reading it to me.

This wouldn't be the last wave of real homesickness, I knew. But I had a little policy to myself. If memories drag you down, make sure it's the good ones.

* * *

I stood out in the sun, gulping down tea, following the brothers' sparring match. Winry was standing next to me, watching carefully, yelling once or twice. Ed swung his hand for a punch, which Al easily blocked. I couldn't help but notice how much it resembled dancing as the blows flew back and force, never once hitting their target. The dance was broken when Armstrong insisted that he had to join in. After teaming up, the brothers managed to take down the big man.

"Lex, come with me!" Winry grabbed my arm and dragged me into the house.

"You're in my bubble, Winry!" She ignored me, dragging me through the halls of her house to her workroom. She released me at the doorway, but gave me a look that said 'stay'. I sighed. Winry really was a very eccentric person. She reminded me of one of my friends.

The thought of my missing friends hit me with twice the force as a thought struck me. They had gone missing without a trace; according to their parents, they had just been in another room in the house and when they came back, they were just gone. Was it possible they were in Amestris, too?

"Ah-ha!" Winry exclaimed, pulling a small package free of the cluttered desk. She came back over to me, holding it behind her back. "Remember those spots on Ed's automail I showed you?"

I nodded. I had a pretty good memory with things like that. Stuff like homework turn-in and things like that was another story.

"Great!" She held out the package, which turned out to be a small toolkit.

I took the toolkit carefully, like it would explode. "I'm not sure I'd be a whole lot of help."

"It's just for emergencies. So you can make patch jobs that'll hold long enough for me to get there."

"Knowing Ed, it'll come in handy." I muttered, slipping the box into my bag.

* * *

If you can guess where we were an hour later, you get a prize. And if you guessed 'on another bleeping train', you win! I was sitting across from Ed and next to Armstrong, staring out the window. Without warning, the train lurched and I whacked my head against the window.

"_OW!"_

"Due to technical difficulties, the train will be stopped for an undetermined amount of time. If you do not wish to wait for the train to resume, there is a small town three miles from here. It has a train station where you can have your money refunded."

Ed stood up. "We need to get to Central ASAP. We're not waiting for some stupid train." He picked up his suitcase and we started following him out. At the door of the train, I stopped.

"What is it?" Al questioned.

"I dunno. I just get the feeling that the instant we step off, the trains gonna work again." I hopped down. As we walked further from the train, I kept glancing back.

A figure was standing on the top of the train, and I could feel their eyes burning into me. They waved their arm, and sure enough, the train started moving again. Someone either wanted us off that train, or in the next town.

"Oh, come on!" Ed growled.

"No turning back now." Al commented.

"YES, SO LET US CONTINUE!"

Three miles of walking is not fun. And on top of that, it was hot out. So when we finally made it to the town, I nearly jumped for joy. We were having quite the time finding the train station, though. And Ed, deciding to be a stereotypical male, refused to ask for directions. I just rolled my eyes, knowing that we'd end up asking anyway. I trailed a ways behind them as I took everything in.

The town was a nice place. Relatively clean, almost no rats in the alleys. The people were pretty average looking, just normal folk going about their daily business. A girl walked past us, and my eyes locked onto her. Her hair was dyed red and purple and pulled into a braid, her eyes a pale green-blue. The outfit she was wearing was all-black, showing no skin despite the heat. I turned my heel, instantly following her.

"Hey! Where are you going?" The brothers and Armstrong ran after me, but I wasn't paying any attention to them. Was it really possible? The girl looked over her shoulder, grinned, waved, turned back around, and ran faster. I pushed myself to run even faster, trying to ignore the burning in my lungs.

"Lex!"

"Would you stop running?!"

My doubts about who that girl was were fading fast. She lead us to a tiny house on the outskirts of the town. The instant her foot touched the porch, she stopped. I ran up to her, knowing for sure just who she was. She laughed as I bent over, trying to pull air into my lungs. I had taken my inhaler while we were walking, so I couldn't take it again so soon.

I stood up straight. "IRIS ANDERSON! WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING MAKING ME RUN AFTER YOU?!" She continued to laugh as I steamed. "You don't get to disappear for six months and then make _me _run after _you!"_

"Lex!" Al's echoing voice sounded behind me. Ed fumed next to him, while Armstrong stood behind him. Oops. Forgot about them. Iris's eyes widened, but she didn't say anything. Instead, she tapped my shoulder, signing with her hands. In elementary school, we'd all had classes in American Sign Language, so we were pretty good at it.

**"When did you start hanging out with Edward and Alphonse ****_Elric?!"_**

**"A little bit after I magically appeared in Mustang's office."** Her jaw dropped and I turned my attention back to my traveling buddies. Edward stomped up to me, Al and the Major close behind.

"Who's this?"

"This is, um, well, this is a person that makes everything a lot more complicated." _And twice as confusing. _

* * *

***drumroll* And now we have met one of Lex's elusive missing friends!**

**Review, bitte schön!**


	10. Chapter 9

**Guess who finally got her computer back!? ME! Course I still have to share it with my sibs, but it's better than the laptop that finally pooped out and stopped turning on. Also, in the future, when anyone uses sign language it will be written in bold.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own FMA or FMA:B. I own Lex, I'd say I own Iris and Asra, but seeing as they're actually based off real people, and they'd probably get irritated. **

* * *

(-Lex-)

"Hey, Asra! Get out here!" Iris yelled into the house. A hollow clang sounded in response. "She'll be out in a minute."

"Wait, Asra's here too?"

"Mm-hm. By the way, did you shrink?"

"WHO'RE YOU CALLIN' A-"

"She's not talking to you!" I sighed, rolling my eyes. "Evidently, yes. Yes I have."

"Well, weird stuff happens in the Gate." She shrugged before her eyes widened as she realized what she said. More importantly, who she said it in front of.

"_What _about the Gate?"

"The only one out of the loop here's Armstrong. **But they don't know about the anime thing."**

**"Do they know about your gem?"**

**"My what now?"**

"You don't- **Didn't Damon explain it to you?"**

**"Who's Damon?"** Iris gaped at me for a few moments. Just as Ed opened his mouth, most likely to question what the fudge was going on, the door opened. Standing in the doorway was a girl, her brown hair pulled into two ponytails, her bangs swept to one side. She looked exactly the same as the last day I saw her. Except for a very small, totally unobvious, _little_ detail.

"So… Asra, you got a tail?"

"It told you, weird things happen in the Gate." Iris' eyes fell. I glanced at Ed. His fists were clenched at his side and his jaw was tight. I didn't have to look at Alphonse to know that he was as tense as his brother. I was almost sure now that the Tucker thing had already happened. Armstrong was oddly silent, and I suspected he had eavesdropped, due to his lack of curiousity.

Asra was leaning against the doorframe, her gray-green eyes wide. **"Holymotherofshit!"** She signed quickly.

"Watch your sign language!" I scolded. I try not to swear too much; it has more of an impact on people if you don't do it often. I'd sworn what, three, four times since I crossed over? Then I noticed another thing that was off. Asra was silent. Asra's _never_ silent. "W…Why are you signing?"

Iris looked at me sadly. "Come in, I'll explain inside."

"Hold it!" Ed interrupted, stomping forward to stand next to me. "You still haven't told us who they are? How do we know we can trust them?!"

I took a deep breath. "Edward, these are two of my best friends, Iris Anderson and Asra Phoenix. They're from my side."

"…This better be one amazing explanation."

* * *

(-?-)

Vivid green eyes stared through the window of a small house. She didn't know what Damon was thinking when he selected that girl as such a vital pawn. She narrowed her eyes at the cyan-eyed, blonde, bespectacled girl that came into view. The girl was pathetic; she couldn't fight her way out of a paper bag, yet he gave _her_ the Hephaestia gem. She wasn't even fit to be a member of the Ydite. And worse, Moira assigned her to guide the girl's path. She was Chelsea O'Clair, she was better than a stupid puppet master position.

"I MUST APOLOGISE, LEX HADESTY AND ELRIC BROTHERS!" The Major's voice boomed through Chelsea's thoughts. She shook her head and focused back through the window. Positioning herself so she couldn't be seen, she pressed her ear to the wall.

"-like a power source. It reduces the toll of the Gate, more or less."

Next came silence, which Chelsea assumed was the one with the Artemis gem.

"What did she say?" The echoing voice belonged to the suit of armor. His name escaped her, not that she cared. She'd never been into anime anyway.

"The amulets don't completely nullify the effects of passing through or seeing the Truth." Hephaestia translated.

"Right." That was Poseidon. "We've been spending the last six months looking on how to get back, but we haven't been able to figure a way to do it. It doesn't help that we're complete amateurs at alchemy."

Another moment of silence, then Hephaestia burst into laughter.

"What's so funny?" Chelsea could hear the weird look in Edward's voice.

"She said 'but the trees are nice. I like the trees'." Hephaestia's laughter stopped suddenly. "Asra, why aren't you talking?"

"She can't." Poseidon's voice was layered with sadness. "Our gems can only do so much. There's always some sort of effect. That's why my hair dye's lasted so long. It's permanent. Asra lost her voice, but somehow picked up a tail."

"And why I'm like, two inches shorter!"

"So she became a chimera when she came through?" Edward's tone was serious.

"We aren't sure _how _that worked. We just know what we know, ya know?"

"I know."

"Did that make any sense to you, Al?" Edward whispered.

"Not a word, Brother."

"Good, I thought it was just me."

* * *

(-Lex-)

I felt a part of myself let go the instant I realized my friends were really right there, in front of me. A release of tension, if you will. But as soon as it was gone, it was back, confusion churning the minds of all in the room. The necklaces were the key to getting home, but they had a connection to a string of sickening murders. Each gem had a different color, and each was named after a Greek god. Iris's stone was a pulsating blue, called Poseidon, while Asra's resembled an opal and named Artemis. I was a bit jealous that Asra got my favorite goddess before internally smacking myself for being so shallow in such a serious situation.

I pulled my own out of my pocket, letting the warm jewel sit in my hand. The light danced off of its surface, making it flicker like fire.

"I'm not surprised you got fire. You've always been a pyromaniac."

"I prefer pyro_phile, _thanks."

"You didn't seem to like it so much on the train." Ed grinned at me.

"My _hands_ _spontaneously combusted._ Let's see how you react!"

"I'd be more worried about what Winry would think when she saw his automail scorched later." Al commented. Ed's face was priceless, and we all started laughing. Out of nowhere, Iris stood up, grabbed my wrist and dragged me into the kitchen before any of us could react. She released me in the middle of the room, then leaned against the counter.

...

…

…

When it became apparent that Iris wasn't going to start, I sighed. "What is it?"

"What happened… after we left?" Iris's eyes betrayed her emotions. She had always been fiercely protective of her friends, and right then the feeling of letting them down was weighing on her heavily. I stared at my feet.

"Honestly?"

"Please." There was a knock, and Asra entered the room. She nodded, signaling me to continue. It was odd seeing Asra so serious, but I continued nonetheless.

"… Neri didn't speak for two months. Lucia **(A/N-pronounced Lu-ki-a)** tries to act normal, but it's obvious she's off. Neither sets of parentals have completely given up hope. Asra, your sister spends a lot of time with Claude nowadays. Natural reactions, mostly."

**"… What about you?"** Asra signed.

"Ah, you know, sitting around watching Fairy Tail, Soul Eater, Ful- ya' know, anime." I caught myself_. I'll have to be more careful about slipping from now on_. "I… Mostly I tried not to think about it."

Then there was a silence. A silence that wasn't even being signed through. Iris's eyes were closed, and Asra was glancing back and forth at us. Then she began signing so quickly that I couldn't follow.

"Asra, slow down."

**"Whereintheseriesareweanyway?"**

**"We're on our way to Central from Resembool." ** A thought struck me. **"You need to come back with me! We need to saveMaesHughes!"**

Iris raised her eyebrow confusedly. **"We need to… sammich?"**

**"Save Maes Hughes!"**

**"I'm still getting a sammich outta this, right?" **Asra grinned.

"Sure."

"Sure what?" Ed's voice caused me to jump. Before looking to Ed, I noticed that Iris's eyes were hard as she glared at the short alchemist. It took me a moment to realize why before I had one of those _ohh_ moments. I guessed she thought he was a threat to us, somehow. I mean, he kinda is a danger magnet.

"Nothing." Iris stated. Ed frowned.

"We're leaving for Central, Lex. Say your goodbyes and let's go."

"Yeah right! Lex isn't going anywhere!" Iris stomped up to Ed, looking down at him.

"Guys…" I said weakly.

"Look, we need to get to Central, and the Colonel's on my case enough without giving him another reason. She's coming with us." Iris instantly responded, starting their own game of yes-no-yes-no-yes-no.

"For God's sake… Shut up!" I yelled. They did. "Why don't we all go to Central together! Besides Iris, _SMH."_ I whispered the last sentence harshly.

"Fine with me. I just didn't like the midget deciding things for you."

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING A TINY SHRIMP?!"

"You."

"ARGGH!"

Al, with his amazing sense of timing, chose right then to pick up Ed. "I think it's time to go."

* * *

"You _really_ don't like trains, do you!" Iris laughed at me as we got off the train. I was already bracing myself for finding the burnt library. That, and attempting to think of a plan to help Hughes. Time was running short, and I would _not _let a man like that lose his life so brutally.

"Not in the least." I answered absently. Asra tapped my shoulder. "Mm?"

**"Don't think too much."**

"Mm."

How was I supposed to not think too much? The violence would only escalate from here, and I still wasn't sure what I was going to do.

Just then, the charred ruins of the Nation Library's first branch came into view. I sighed at the loss of so many books. Ed's jaw dropped. "Wha- Dr. Marcoh's notes!"

I exchanged a glance with my fellow plot-intruders._ Well, here we go._ We followed the Amestrians into the blackened debris. "Number thirteen, your order's ready. Yes, we _did _make it extra crispy." I muttered under my breath. Number one thing to remember in serious or stressful circumstances: randomness and a sense of humor.

Ed bent over to pick up a small book that I guessed _used_ to be yellow. As he lifted it up, it fell to ashes, instantly staining his white gloves. His shoulders slumped as his hope came crashing down.

"Major Armstrong!" A female voice behind me caused me to jump. I turned around to see two familiar military personnel.

"Ah, 2nd Lt. Ross and Sergeant Brosh." Armstrong greeted. There was surprise on my friends faces, and I nearly laughed at them. Iris had always been a bigger fan of One Piece, and Asra was probably just surprised at seeing the first introduction of new characters.

"We were given orders from Headquarters to report." Ross began.

"We will take over the escort of Edward Elric, sir."

"Alright, understood." A tiny orange-pink sparkle appeared next to the Major's head. I bit my lips to avoid the tiny laugh attempting to escape. Iris stepped up behind me.

"_He actually sparkles."_ She whispered, awe in her voice.

"You didn't notice before?" I responded, then looked pointedly back to the military men. Al's eyes had gone circular and white.

"And just when I thought we'd gotten rid of our bodyguard we get more escorts? What's up with that?" Ed complained.

"There's a car waiting outside, sir!"

"Alright, fine." Ed sighed. He and Al followed the duo's lead, until they realized that I wasn't following. He turned to me and raised an eyebrow. "You comin'?"

"Ye-"

"_Actually, _she's coming with us." Iris looped her arm around mine.

"I am?"

"Shouldn't you ask her first?" Al asked, his face a cartoonish confused expression.

"She's gotta learn how to use alchemy from somebody and since you guys are busy…" Ed opened his mouth to object, but Iris cut him off. "Look, we'll find ya' later, 'kay?"

"Fine." The instant the word was out of his mouth, Iris began dragging me off. Asra walked next to us, signing non-stop. A few seconds later, I remembered something.

"Oh, hey guys!" I yelled back. "Look for people who used to work at the library! There might be someone who remembers them!" From the distance we were at, I couldn't tell if the look on Ed's face was suspicion or simply curiosity. "Just do it, okay!"

* * *

"So. You've done alchemy once before, right?"

"Y-Yeah, but that was on accident."

**"Come on! I wanna see your hands light on fire!"**

"Right…" I stared down at my hands, then back up at my friends. We were in a small, unoccupied area that was thankfully devoid of trees. Or plant life at all. Knowing that I wouldn't light anything on fire but myself, I tentatively pressed my palms together, waiting for them to spark. Nothing happened.

"Hm… What were you doing when you did it?"

"I was singing Mrs. O'Leary."

"You were… That sadistic song you learned at Girl Scout camp?"

**"In front of Ed?"**

I laughed nervously. Thinking back on it, it was awfully embarrassing. I felt my cheeks get red. "W-well he should be glad it was that and not Bananas in the Sky!"

We laughed, Iris and I loudly, while Asra's body shook silently. Iris turned back to me. "Ah, but seriously, you should sing the song."

I sighed. "_Pour on water, pour on water!_ _Save my children, save my children! Jump, lady, jump! ..._Splat?" I winced as I slapped my hands together and the orange flare surrounded my hands. Little droplets rolled down my arms, running over my clothes without damaging them.

"Whoa." Asra reached out to poke it, snatching her hand back the moment she did. She began signing obscenities.

Then we spent the next few hours getting my alchemy to an acceptable level. I wouldn't be able to take on anyone like Envy anytime soon, but it was better than being completely defenseless. By the time the sun was touching the horizon, I was utterly exhausted. The amount of energy necessary for a transmutation was a lot more than one would think.

On the positive side, I learned more about Iris and Asra's alchemy, too. Iris's was similar to waterbending; it controlled the water molecules, how close or far away they were, their kinetic energy, and most importantly, how they moved.

Asra's resembled the kind Alphonse used in the Conqueror of Shamballa movie, in Liore when he made the mini tornadoes. I failed to see where that connected with Artemis at all, but it really was just the names of the stones. For some reason, my mind had gone blank on what the god or goddess of fire was, so I just pushed it to the back of my mind.

As the sun dropped from the sky, I sighed. "I really think we should find Edward and Alphonse now."

We headed straight for the library. Sure enough, still standing in front of the double doors were Ross and Brosh, signifying that the brothers were still working. Instead of going in, I walked over to the 2nd Lt. and stuck out my hand.

"We weren't officially introduced. I'm Lex Hadesty, and these are my friends, Iris Anderson and Asra Phoenix."

"Second Lieutenant Maria Ross." She shook my hand and I turned to Brosh.

"What I just said to her." I held out my hand.

"Sergeant Denny Brosh."

* * *

The next ten days passed nearly the same as the first. Alchemy got easier each day, and I began experimenting with various shielding techniques. Iris suggested multiple times that I figure out a way to attack, to which she received a glare.

"Alright, alright." She backed off for maybe the fifth time that day. "Are… Are you planning to actually stay with the Elrics through the entire plot?" I froze, the fire on my hands dying. "Because, we could leave. The three of us could get out of Amestris, go to Xing or something, and just let the plot play out like it's supposed to."

"…" I found my eyes drawn to a small ant on the ground near my foot. That brought memories of the flashback episode. _All is one, one is all._ "I'd rather do something… something that might actually have an effect on this world. They've been through a lot of crap already. Shouldn't someone try to lighten the burden?"

"But it's not _your _world! And what if it makes things worse?"

"…Then that's something _I'll_ have to fix." I paused. "Besides, I hate Xingese politics." I looked up at the sky. The sun was beginning to go down, but it wasn't quite to the point that it made the world orange. _Aw, crap._

"We need to get back to Ed and Al _now."_

**"Why?"**

"They're about to decode the notes."

"You remember what time of day they figure this out."

"Course. Sunset. The lighting gives dramatic emphasis!"

We moved quickly through the slowly dimming streets. I didn't notice that Asra had left until she came back. She signed something to Iris, but the symbols were blocked by her body.

"Ah, you can make it back to the boys on your own, right?"

"Yeah, I guess but where…?"

"It's nothing really! We just have some business to take care of, and it can't wait!"

"A-Alright."

"See ya later!"

They veered off in a different direction. I didn't have time to think about what just happened before I reached the steps of the library. My thoughts turned back to the Elrics. They'd decode the notes, then they go to lab five, then they go to Rush Valley. At the same time Hughes dies. I let out a yet another sigh. I'd always been a sighing kinda person, but lately I'd noticed an extreme spike.

"TO HELL WITH IT!"

"Yikes!" Ed's sudden outburst caused me to trip on the last stair. I pitched forward landing on the ground in a somewhat comedic position. You know, that stupid hands-over-head, face plant position that provides absolutely no protection from the cold, hard ground? Yeah, that one.

I scrambled back up to my feet. When I finally reached the room, I lingered in the doorway. Hopefully someone would say a familiar line and I could pretend that I had been there the whole time.

"I would never have thought something so inhumane was going on in the army…"

And there was my queue. "There's a lot of things that go on in militaries that are inhumane." Four pairs of eyes turned to me and I blushed. "I couldn't very well stand here and eavesdrop. Better to announce that one is invading another's conversation."

"2nd Lt, Sergeant, would you mind not speaking to anyone about this?"

"But-" Brosh, being Brosh, began to object.

"Please! Just pretend you never heard this." The two military men exchanged a glance. "And Lex…"

"Iris and Asra ran off on some errand. I don't plan on telling them." _You know, 'cause they already know. _ There was relief in Ed's golden eyes. For a moment, my stupidly connect-this-to-that functioning brain caused me to remember the meaning of the color gold. Which then brought the meaning of the rest of his colors. I shook my head slightly to clear my head.

_On to Lab Five, I suppose._

* * *

__**Yeah, I know it's late. I was intending to put it out yesterday, but my parents made me go to bed before I could finish it, and I didn't want to leave it at practicing alchemy. **

**And YES, Mrs. O'Leary is a real song. Bananas in the Sky will very likely worm its way in here at some point as well. And my recent discovery of Ed's coloring will be revealed in a later chapter, for those of you who don't already know them.**

**... There was something else I was going to say, but now I can't remember... Oh, I keep trying to spell Brosh Brosch. My German class is beginning to effect my English spelling abilities...**

**Oh well! A late Happy HOLIDAYS!**


	11. Chapter 10

I ate silently, not paying attention to the flavor of the food. People bustled past my lonely table, but even their numbers decreased as time went by. Iris and Asra still hadn't returned from wherever the heck they went, while Ed and Al were holed up in their room. I didn't really want to leave them alone, but I was hungry. That and their conversation technically wasn't any of my business.

After I had finished the very last pea, I cleared my dishes. As the in-hotel restaurant began to close up shop, I remembered that Ed was refusing to eat. I ran back to the cashier.

"Excuse me!"

"Sorry, we're closin' up."

"Ah, wait! My idiot refused to come eat, so can I just get something for him?" The older man stared at me for a moment, then released a long breath. He reached under the counter and pulled out a paper bag.

"I gotta leftover sandwich. I'm afraid that's all I got."

"Thank you so much!" I slapped a few of the strange bills on the counter in front of him before running upstairs. In retrospect, I undoubtedly overpaid the man. I skipped up the stairs to the room the Elrics and I shared.

Inside the room was dark and gloomy, mirroring the brothers' mood. I waited for my eyes to adjust before making my way to a lamp. The quiet of the room was deafening, and I searched for appropriate words to break it. I glanced at the brown paper in my hands, then flicked on the lamp.

"Um, Edward, don't you think you should eat something?"

"I'm not hungry."

"Whether or not you _feel_ hungry, your body needs food."

"She's right." Al's short sentence gave further evidence to the turmoil hiding behind their eyes. I frowned. Plopping onto the seat next to Ed's feet, I set the bag on his chest.

"H-"

"It's a sandwich. Just eat it." Ed started to object, but was interrupted by his stomach growling. I laughed as Ed grudgingly began to eat.

For several moments the only sound in the room was Ed's chewing. After he finished, he crumpled the paper in his automail hand. My eyes were drawn to the metal prosthetic. Ed noticed where I was looking and raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

I looked up to meet his eyes. Then I sighed, dropping my head again. I was plum out of fancy words that made my friends wonder if I was a thirty-year-old trapped in a fourteen-year-old's body.

"What?! What was that look for?!"

"ELRIC BROTHERS, I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE! IT IS I! OPEN UP!" Major Armstrong's voice pierced through the door.

"What do we do?" Al asked nervously.

"I'd open it before he breaks it." I sweatdropped. May I mention that sweatdropping is weird?

"Nah, just ignore him." As soon as the words left his mouth, there was a harsh cracking as the doorknob came free. I made a startled squeaking sound._ I didn't remember that he _actually_ broke it… _The large man stepped into the room, nearly blocking his two subordinates from view.

"I heard, Edward Elric!"

It took many minutes of drama, the clicking of 'the truth behind the truth', and Armstrong laying out a huge map on the table before I let out another long breath. I really had to stop sighing so much.

"That's the building for the fifth laboratory, but it's not currently in use. There's a risk of it collapsing, so it's been declared off limits."

"It's here." Ed stated.

"What makes you so sure?" Brosh asked.

"Sergeant, there's a prison right next door." I pointed to the square on the map. "The perfect place to get humans to experiment on. Nobody would miss them."

"And if prisons from other jurisdictions were involved… I wonder if the government has anything to do with this." Al's comment caused quite the reaction from Ross and Brosh. "This is why we told you to pretend you never heard anything!"

Armstrong rolled up the map in a single swift movement. "This could become a highly political issue. I shall look into this. In the meantime, 2nd Lt., Sergeant, speak of this to no one."

"Yes, sir!" The two soldiers saluted simultaneously.

"And you, Elric brothers, behave yourselves. Lex Hadesty, I expect you to keep them in line!" _Yeah, because I have so much control over them._ I rolled my eyes while Ed and Al freaked out. Armstrong doubled in size. "Look here, you two! You were just thinking of sneaking off to investigate, weren't you?!"

"No! We weren't, we weren't!" Armstrong 'hmpf'-ed in disbelief. He, Ross, and Brosh filed out of the room. The door was pulled back into place, the large chunk where the handle once was missing as proof of Armstrong's presence.

Ed and Al stood up as quietly as they could, sneaking into the bedroom. I trailed them, and the sad part was that they didn't seem to notice until I cleared my throat. They looked back at me, looking like a couple of deer caught in headlights.

"I'm coming with you."

"I don't think that's a good idea…" Al commented.

"Neither is sneaking out. Besides, how many times have I been good to have around?"

* * *

I had to say, I _really _didn't like the streets of Central at night. They sort of resembled the ones in horror movies, right before someone gets eaten. Even worse, I kept tripping over things.

"Can!" I whispered hoarsely as it slid under my foot. For what seemed like the millionth time, Ed caught my arm and pulled me back up.

"Geez, you sure are clumsy."

"I'm not clumsy! The ground just hates me, tables and chairs are bullies, walls get in my way, and litter is downright mean!"

"Right." Even in the dark, I could see Ed's metallic eyes roll. I at least managed to get a small chuckle out of Al. When we reached the boundary wall of the fifth lab, Al immediately gave Edward a boost up. I clung onto Alphonse's back while he climbed the string of barbed wire. We circled the building, finding no open doors. Finally, Ed noticed the side vent.

"Hey, Al, give me a boost." In seconds, Ed had removed the grate and was climbing in. I still hadn't decided if it would be better to go in or stay out. On one hand, Ed would be more physically hurt, but Al would be emotionally…

"Will you be alright by yourself?"

"Alright or not, you can't really fit in here"

I made a quick decision. "Besides, he's not going in alone."

"But-" Ed objected.

"Just get in the vent." I said, Al helping me up. "Thanks. Oh, Al, listening to homicidal maniacs is bad for one's health. Besides, they're usually wrong."

"Okay?" The look on Al's face was priceless. Plus, I'd always wanted to say that!...Don't judge me.

"Just remember!" I climbed into the vent. _Dang, this _is _small. _I had overestimated the size of the vent. It was only about two Ed-widths thick, and anyone who pays attention would notice that he's not exactly a thick person. At least not in that sense. And there was a certain part of me that was _most certainly_ wider than Ed. There was just a tiny bit of wiggle room when it came to shoulders, though, and I was thankful for that.

For several minutes, our entire focus was on crawling forward. I made sure that I was a good foot behind Ed. I didn't really fancy the idea of a red-soled shoe in my face. My glasses kept sliding down the bridge of my nose, and each time I pushed them up they slid further.

Suddenly Ed spazzed out, his feet coming dangerously close."I just called myself small!"

"Edward, knock it off!" I growled irritably, slapping his right leg down to get his attention. "Shouldn't you be focusing on getting out of this darned thing instead of how you're able to fit in it?"

"Right." In a split second, Edward had regained complete composure. "How are _you _doing back there?"

"I'm… squished. Other than that, nifty. Please keep moving."

"Maybe I'll just stay here a little while longer…"

"Not. Funny. I can set your rear on fire now."

Even in the dim light, I could see the sweatdrop. "Gotcha." Finally, Ed announced that we'd reached the end. I could see the dim light working its way up. He grunted as he pushed on the metal grate. He moved up, putting his full body weight on it. Finally he worked his way onto his back, pushing the 'ceiling' to try to get it to give.

"No luck?"

"It's not budging. And it's either out here or back outside." Sure enough, when I looked ahead my eyes could only make out another silver wall. And idea crossed my mind, and I immediately blushed at how I would have to get to the grate. But that was a lot more tolerable than crawling backward and leaving the lab untouched.

"I… have an idea. I-Is it possible for you to move over?"

"Does it _look_ like I have room to move over?"

"W-Well then scoot down. I have to be able to get at the stupid thing." He moved toward me a little. _Better do this now before I chicken out._

"What do you think you'll be able to do?"

I sucked in a breath before beginning to crawl over the blonde alchemist. My face was red enough to make a tomato jealous, and I was incredibly glad I couldn't see Ed's face. I tried to press my back to the 'ceiling' to give some space between our bodies, but there simply wasn't enough room.

There were hundreds of fangirls who would just _love _to be in my position, but I just wanted to be _out_ of it. They could feel free to replace me in that vent any time. After what seemed like ages, I reached the vent. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough room, and I was still on top of Edward.

"Hang on." I muttered, reaching over his head with my hands. I clapped them lightly, fire instantly began dripping down onto the metal. It began to glow, and if it wasn't already warm enough in the vent, it just got hotter.

As the metal slowly melted, I cursed silently. I cursed the idiots that designed this bleeping vent. I cursed my genes for passing large chests down the family line. I cursed teenage hormones. I cursed how warm his body was against mine, how I could feel each rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. I cursed how close our faces were, how even in the darkness I could tell that his analytical golden eyes were locked onto me, and most of all, I simply cursed how incredibly attractive I found the Fullmetal Alchemist.

And then I cursed my brain for thinking that.

Relief swept over me as the last of the vent grate liquefied, leaving the space open. It was quickly replaced as I crawled backward off of Edward. I was thanking everything I could that he had remained silent.

"Good work." He said quickly. I could only manage to utter a speedy 'thanks'. He dropped down, landing perfectly on the floor below. I pulled myself to the opening, and finally got in a position so I was dangling out the hole. Squeezing my eyes shut, I let myself fall. I landed fine, but on my first step my ankle twisted. Though I quickly regained my balance, as we walked through the halls, I had gained a very tiny limp.

The hallways were lit by dim yellow lights, all of the corners left in shadows. In the eerie silence, soft sounds of our footsteps seemed equivalent to an elephant on bubble wrap. Finally we came out into a more brightly lit room. Which I found ironic, due to the fact the Philosopher's Stone circle drawn on the ground was covered in bloodstains.

"Is this… Is this the circle used in transmuting a Philosopher's Stone?"

"_No, _the blood's just there for decoration." I mumbled sarcastically, earning a dirty look from Ed. I shrugged innocently. _Ah, sarcasm… You have been neglected._

"Very good. I don't know who you two are, but if you can tell just by looking at the transmutation circle," _Yeah, the blood was still a huge indicator._ Out of the shadow walked a suit of armor; one that was definitely not Al. And on top of that, he was armed with a very _sharp_ looking sword.

"Who the hell are you?"

"I am the one charged with guarding this place. I'll go by Number 48 for now. I am under orders to eliminate anyone who comes in here. Don't think ill of me, kids."

"Don't think ill of me once you're beaten by one of these 'kids'." In a flash of blue, Ed transmuted his automail into a blade. It then occurred to me that I didn't know if Winry actually forgot the bolt or not. She might have remembered, considering she was showing me how everything worked. But if she didn't… I clapped my hands, letting the pale flame flicker in my palm.

"Alchemists, hm? Let's see what you've got." Faster than anyone should be able to move, 48 was inches from Ed's face. In that one moment, we both realized we were in a _bit_ over our heads.

48 swung down with his blade, Ed just barely escaping its biting edge. He danced away on light feet. 48 charged at the blonde, but before he could get even halfway there, I threw a ball of fire between him and Ed. Surprising all three of us, it exploded into a wall. The armor brothers skidded to a stop.

Now, if I had been thinking, I would have realized that chucking fire near someone would gain some attention. But sadly, I did not notice until 48 turned to me. _Ah, craaaaap. _I squeaked, running around my own wall of flames to more or less hide behind Ed.

Despite the gravity of the situation, Ed glanced at me, "And you said you didn't fight."

"I never said anything about defense. Just don't expect me to hit him."

"Good with me." Ed shot me a quick grin before rushing in to meet 48's attack. Ed just barely managed to block his incoming sword, the strain of holding it back evident. Pushing it way, Ed dove in for a strike only to meet 48's sword once again. Ducking beneath it, Ed rammed his foot hard into the belly of the armor, knocking them both away from each other. I could only do so much with my fire, especially when they were so close together, so I held back, waiting until interference would be helpful.

Understanding lit in Ed's eyes. "Hey, hey, hey! You're hollow inside, aren't you!"

"I'm impressed you realized that."

"I spar against someone like you all the time."

"Oh, so there are people like me on the outside, too, are there?"

"To think there's another idiot out there who came up with the idea of bonding a soul to a suit of armor!" _Calling yourself an idiot is a bit harsh, don't you think…?_ I watched silently, not wanting to intrude on a conversation, even one with a psychopath.

"Let me introduce myself once again. '48' is my condemned prisoner number. In life, or should I say, back when I had a living body, I was known as Slicer, the mass murderer."

"So you _are_ a prisoner… Tell me, they use condemned prisoners in this place as ingredients to make the Philosopher's Stones, right?"

"That is difficult for me to answer. They just recognized my skills, gave me this body, and made me the watchdog of this place."

"Which means you have a seal that serves as a medium for soul and armor."

"Yes, that is correct." 48 reached for his mask, lifting it to reveal the zigzagged bloodseal. "If you destroy this, you win."

"It's very kind of you to show me your weak spot."

"I'm the type that likes a challenge in a fight."

"As long as you're being kind, why don't you just let us leave?"

"There's no way a mass murderer would allow his prey to escape so easily."

"It was worth a shot though," I chimed as Slicer adjusted his grip on his sword. Then the fighting resumed, sword against automail blade. Sparks showered around them as the two metals met and deflected on another. 48 then hit Ed's automail hard enough for the sound to ring throughout the room.

Ed paused for a moment, a startled look on his face as he glanced at his arm. In that one look, I knew that Winry had in fact forgotten the screw. Slicer took this opportunity to send a strike towards Ed's head. Ed ducked in time to avoid a very unpleasant haircut. I sent a volley of flame at Slicer's sword, altering its path considerably as Ed backflipped away.

Once again a flurry of sparks lit the area, ending in Ed being kicked to the ground. Knowing Ed wasn't in the literal line of fire, I let loose a stream of flame at the katana. Ed jumped back to his feet, and used Slicer's distraction to knock his head clean off.

"Ed, there's a second brother controlling the body!" I warned before there was time to surprise him. Even with it, the younger Slicer managed to dig his blade into Ed's left shoulder. Edward was soon backed into a corner, and a feeling of helplessness overtook us both. I looked at my smoldering hands.

"Screw this!" I growled and a huge burst of flame went straight at the body of 48. As he toppled over, Ed employed Scar's trick, blowing the legs and the torso apart. Both of us released a breath. I went straight to the katana, flinging it away. I sunk down to the ground next to Ed.

"Now you've done it, you little brat!"

"Ugh, that's just gross!" I couldn't help but laugh at Edward's facial expression, but it soon stopped when noticed the blood soaking into his clothes.

"How's your shoulder?"

"It'll be fine." He stood up slowly, leaning against the wall. "Didn't you say you wouldn't hit him?"

"…" I didn't say anything. I made an exception because Slicer was armor. Against someone of flesh and blood, I wasn't sure that I would be able to do the same. The younger 48 was still wiggling on the ground, and I felt a mild wave of nausea.

I was startled by the sound of a sigh from the older Slicer. "My brother, I hate to say it, but we've lost."

"You're not gonna tell me you're actually three brothers, are you?" Edward poked the lifeless legs.

"No, no." The younger Slicer waved.

"Kid, just hurry up and destroy us."

"Don't ask me to become a murderer." Ed scoffed.

"With bodies like these, are we even people?"

"If I don't consider you to be people, then that would mean I don't consider my brother a person. My brother is human. You guys are also human."

"Wacked up humans, but human nonetheless." I shrugged. "Translation: no dead psychopaths."

"Heh. We two, as brothers, have been stealing, destroying, and killing for as long as we can remember. And now, for the first time, we're being treated as human after we've taken these forms… It's hilarious!" My eyes flicked around, waiting for some sign of Envy or Lust. "As a parting gift, I will tell you everything. The ones who made the Philosopher's Stone and ordered us to guard this place."

No ridiculously long fingernails shot from the darkness. Nor did a gender-confused palm tree come to give Slicer a stabbity death. Did that mean that this was going to be closer to the 2003 version?

"Hey, are you okay?" Ed questioned, picking up the older Slicer by the hair.

"It's just… You know what, nevermind. Are you sure your shoulder's okay?"

"Yeah. We can look around here a little more." I compared the Edward I saw in front of me to the one from the Lab 5 episode. There was no blood on his face, no gash on his side. Evidently I made the correct decision coming through the vent with Ed…

Thankfully Ed had already begun following 48's instructions and wasn't facing me_. I swear, the awkwardness of being sandwiched in a vent with him is going to haunt me for the rest of my life,_ I thought as I flushed.

The rest of the Lab was increasingly boring. It didn't help that I jumped at every noise, still waiting for homunculi to pop out. It wasn't until we reached a room that practically glowed red that anything happened.

The thing was, it wasn't the same red room as the 2003 version. There weren't barrels of red water, there wasn't a transmutation circle on the ceiling. But there was on the ground. And it was eerily familiar.

"That's…" I didn't have a photographic memory or anything, but you tend to remember things that send your life in to a spiral of 'what the fudge is going on's.

"I've never seen a transmutation circle like this before." Ed commented. I moved toward like I was in a trance, dropping to the ground and running a finger along the edge of the circle. A small part of me hoped it would spark to life, but it remained dead. "What's with you?"

"It's… It's the circle I touched right before I was teleported here. Only bigger."

"You were supposed to come out here, too." A masculine voice caused us both to jump, making me squeak and Ed drop 48. 48 muttered crankily. A man stepped out of the darkness. He was darkly colored, with dark skin, dark brown hair, and eyes void of light. I didn't know who he was, but there was one thing I did. He was bad news.

"Ah, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Damon. My organization detected a disturbance in the Gate and we guessed someone should be coming through here. You are quite an odd case. Not only in that you didn't come through here, but that you appeared in another _city._"

Ed bristled with hostility. "How did you know where she-"

"Iris informed me, of course." I felt a shiver down my spine. Iris had mentioned a guy named Damon before, someone who explained things to her. Was it possible a person who gave me the willies this bad could be the same?

"You know Iris?"

"Indeed. Her mute friend as well." When he smiled, it faintly reminded me of a cat that ate the family fish. "You may want to back away from that transmutation circle. It should activate any moment now."

"Are you from Lex's world, too?"

Damon didn't once take his freezing eyes from me. "Of course. I am the holder of the Eris stone." He held out a sulfur-yellow stone. I couldn't remember hearing about a goddess named Eris. I knew of Er_o_s, the god of love, but Er_i_s was lost on me.

A pink glow began pulsating from the drawing next to me. I quickly stood and moved closer to Ed. If all else failed, I could use him as a meat shield! …Yeah, no. I still hadn't remembered the fire god/goddess. And I had an knowing resource, albeit an obviously bad one.

"Do… Do you know what mine is?"

"Hephaestia, of course." Hephaestia… Did he mean Hephaestus?

I didn't have a chance to ask.

The circle erupted in a violent explosion of red, tiny black arms flicking around the edges. Out of the massive eye in the middle came a shadowed figure. Their face was hidden, but I felt a tiny pinch in my gut. A sneaking suspicion I wouldn't like where things were going.

As the light died, the person looked around like a confused child. She wore a tied black jacket and simple jeans, her hand clenched around the chain of her amulet. It was a faded gray. Her dusty blonde was cropped short, and black rimmed, rectangular glasses framed her pale eyes. I felt my breath catch. It was Lucia.

I didn't pause to think, I just ran up to the dazed girl. "Lucia! Are you okay? How'd this happen? Do you know what Truth took?"

She looked at me blankly for a moment. "Who are you?"

"Who- It's me! Lex? Lex Hadesty? Alexandra Sarah Hadesty! _Your friend!_" Each sentence I spoke seemed to confuse her more, and I felt winded. Had Truth really taken her memory?

"I don't know you!"

"Well, what _do _you know?!" She paused, a frustrated look on her face. I didn't know if I wanted the on looking males to interfere or not. I just wanted my friend to remember.

"I… My name is Lucia Jane. I was… on my way to a… to someone's house. Someone I was worried about… because she disappeared… I think. Then… I… I can't… There was some freaky white dude, I remember that much!"

"Look, I am your friend. I went missing a few weeks ago. Several months before that, two of our friends were gone."

"Yeah, Iris and Asra."

"Exactly!"

"Exactly what?" As soon as the light in Lucia's eyes had appeared, it was gone. "Who are you?"

There was a sympathetic sigh from Damon. "The poor child. I will take her to our headquarters and see what we can do for her memory." He took her wrist and gently began leading her away. Just as I began to follow him, long black strips flew past my vision and through 48. Edward jumped away from the Ultimate Spear. _Ultimate Fingernails if you ask me. _

"Oh, my. Three Ydites and the Fullmetal pipsqueak, all in one place!" And lo and behold, the green-haired fright himself walked into the doorway next to Lust.

As if on cue, Ed exploded, "Don't call me small!"

"But a pipsqueak is a pipsqueak, right, pipsqueak?"

"We will make our leaves out this way…" Damon commented, whisking Lucia away before I could object. As much as I worried about her, I knew she would be relatively safe with the creepazoid. Edward, on the other hand, was in much better condition and ready to fight Envy. Which would end badly.

The two homunculi strode confidently into the room. Their movement would give an advantage in fighting, but left the exit wide open. A perfect path for making an escape. Just as Ed clapped his hand, I gave his automail a hard yank, pulling all the parts completely out of place. I kept my momentum which forced him to run out the door with me.

"What did you just do?!"

"Yell at me later! We gotta get outta here be... before they blow the… darned place up!" My asthma simply made running and talking a lot more complicated than it should've been. "Besides… It was breaking anyway!"

Focus was then turned to the wonderful activity of _getting the fudge out before everything fell on us._ As we ran, I took a quick puff of my inhaler. I didn't know what I would do when it ran out. We rolled out onto the grass just as the building fell to pieces behind us. I coughed as I breathed dust, less and less oxygen going where it was supposed to.

"We have to find Al." Ed said, wincing as he yanked me to my feet. I could only nod. We found Al panicking along with Ross and Brosh. He instantly relaxed when he recognized his brother.

Very little conversation occurred after that. Ed finally passed out from blood loss, his shoulder wound a heck of a lot deeper than it looked. I leaned heavily on Brosh as dizziness became my main focus. I barely noticed as we were driven straight to the hospital.

All in all, I would say that the fifth laboratory pretty much sucked.

* * *

**I think this is the longest chapter I've written... It also happens to be my current favorite. The vent bit was the first time I'd actually tried writing something like that, so you should ****_really_**** review and tell me how I did.**

**I'm probably pushing the amount of OCs one should have, but they are necessary to the plot I have in mind, and other than Lex, they're not going to be there all the time. **

**...I really don't like Damon. He is simply an evil I must bear writing.**

**Edit: When reading over this, my parents rushed me and I missed two sentences that were intended to be deleted. For those of you that read this before it was fixed, Iris and Asra _were not_in the fifth lab. For those of you who read this _after_, a little piece of trivia: The original concept for the red room scene included Iris and Asra. I believed that they were not needed in that place, so I scrapped the idea, however, I missed a two sentence. I ****apologize for the mistake.**


	12. Imminent Rewrite

**Yes, this is a stupid author's note. It is also an apology for not updating. And probably an excuse as well. In the last several months, my constant writing has caused me to improve(at least I think I have), as well as become more confident in my writing of other characters. And as a result, trying to pull out a new chapter of this has been like a rabbit trying to climb the Great Wall of China. So what I am going to do is rewrite it. I won't be removing this story, but chapters 3-11 will be taken down when I'm ready to post the new stuff. Things will be added, so rereading would be wise. **

**I'm telling you this in advance so there aren't any surprises, and if you guys are pissed(like I would be), you don't have to deal with my crap anymore. But I am hoping you'll stay along and pardon this irritation I must have caused. **

**Hoping you'll stick around, **

**The Fire Rain Alchemist. **


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